Dragon Age 2:My Story
by Word of War
Summary: Luna is the lone blade in a family of mages. Her brother and sister were twins & valued more highly than she was for their "gift" of magic. Luna served at Ostagar and is now in Kirkwall with it's events unfolding around and because her of in Dragon Age 2
1. Chapter 1: Déjà Vu

**Chapter 1**

Luna was getting this unmistakable sense of déjà vu. First she had to run from the darkspawn horde from Ostagar to Lothering and now she was running from the horde again, but this time it was from Lothering to….wherever the hell they were going.

"We need to stop for a breather right now sis" my older brother Garrett directed to my older sister, Marian. There was no way in hell he would say something so nice to me.

"Very well Garrett, but we shouldn't tally long because we already wasted so much time-"

"Waiting on me I know!" I yelled at her. "So you can all just drop the whole fucking let's not let on to who we are already pointing fingers at game!" "_Yeah I know you all blame me, so quit dodging it like you care if saying it will hurt my damn feelings. You don't give a shit about me anyways." _ I thought to myself

"I wasn't going to blame you sis-"

"Don't 'sis' me Marian when we all know what you said right there was bullshit!" My patience was nonexistent at the moment and I would be lying if I said I wasn't pissed off at them.

"That's enough! Luna why is it that every time you brother or sister open their mouths and say something you always have to argue?" Our mother said. It was all directed to me of course even the whole 'that's enough' bit that should have applied to everyone.

"If I said 'because they always spout out bullshit from their mouths' something tells me you wouldn't take that as an answer." "_I know you never loved me. Never wanted me, so don't use that whole loving, motherly tone on me either." _I released my anger into those words. I didn't scream those words out like you would think; it's just that my anger melted away with those words, allowing me to cool down. Now that may sound easy but it isn't. I have just mastered the art of it because I have done it so many damn times.

So, yeah, there it is, my fucked up life, with my family that puts the "fun" in "dysfunctional". My Mother, Leandra Amell, was originally a Kirkwaller who ran away to Ferelden with an apostate mage, Malcolm Hawke. My brother and sister are both the prodigies my father wanted. And did I get so lucky as to be a prodigy? Ha-ha-no! Luck has never been on my side as far as I'm concerned. I am a "scrapper" as my mother calls it. I get into fight as long as I have a reason which was why my mother, brother, and sister where all confused when I told them I was joining King Cailan's army at Ostagar. They didn't think I had a reason. That's how little they know me. No let me rephrase that. That's how little they wanted me.

My mother was about to scold me for what I had just said to scold me when Ruin, my mabari war hound, started growling. Ruin was the only thing I got from my bastard father. That hound showed me more love then he ever did.

"Ahh, you got to love how the darkspawn have perfect timing." I didn't know it was darkspawn, but I'm not stupid and neither is my hound. He knows not to charge the bad smelling darkspawn unless I give the order to.

"Looks like you have something to take your anger out on Luna," Garrett chided to me as if we were the loving brother and sister we should be.

"Why should I when using it on you and Marian is a hell of a lot more fun!" I snapped back at him. "_Maker I hate you, you bastard. Can't you ever leave me alone for fuck's sake?"_

Finally he shut up and left me alone. I unsheathed the two swords on my back and got ready for the fight. Most people have the hilts of their swords, or sword, up above their shoulder. Mine, however, are in the opposite direction so all I have to do is drop my arms, grab the hilts, and pull out away from me and then up. That's also my fighting stance. I keep the blades parallel to my forearm. I bend at the knees and get lower to the ground then most so that I can charge and get into a full out run quickly to get to the enemy.

"Don't swallow any blood, you here boy?" I address to Ruin. He gives me a short bark in reply.

"Here they come," cries Marian. "_Thank you for stating the obvious "sis". It's not like we can see them or anything little miss innocent."_

Both Marian and Garrett freeze the first two darkspawn that comes down the hill. I run forward and slice the other darkspawn in half from the shoulder to the hip. The other one that was still frozen I merely kicked and watched it shatter into pieces as it hit the ground. Then more came. "_This is my favorite part". _A wicked smile poured across my face as my blood started flowing through my veins faster. "_Oh how I love it when my blood gets pumping as I spill yours!" _That last word in my head became a battle cry, or battle growl as it where. I rushed forward to meet my enemies as the mages stood back and caste their little magic spells. The first, well actually third, went down easy, but then more poured in and I found my rhythm. Dodge, parry, duck, slash, lunge, and kick. These movements happened without a conscious thought as their blood poured from the wounds I inflicted and as they stumbled over their "comrades" bodies.

"Luna! They're attacking from behind as well! Kill them before they reach mother!"

"_I don't take orders from either of you!" _ I was tempted to yell "You do it!" but I refrained and simply spun around and darted around Marian and Garrett towards the flanking darkspawn.

There weren't as many as that yell had suggested but I still killed them all effortlessly." _I don't want to be a mage! I don't need that power when I already have more than almost all the mages! Liar! Maybe if you were a mage Father would have paid attention to you. Your brother and sister would respect you. And mother actually might love you for once in your entire life."_

When the fighting was over and my heartbeat returned to its normal rate, I surveyed the bodies and I realized that I had killed twice the amount of darkspawn than Marian and Garrett, combined, had. And in less time too.

This brought a smile to my face and I let out a piercing whistle which brought Ruin, running to me all blood soaked and happy.

"You didn't swallow any of that nasty blood did you boy?" I asked

He let out a happy bark and wagged his short, goofy little tail in response.

"It seems to me that you love that dog more than you do your own family" Garrett commented with that pathetic smirk of his on his face.

I didn't take the bait. As soon as I said something he would pounce on me with all sorts of insults, lectures, and disappointed or angry frowns. It's what he always did. Instead I gave him the "fuck-off" smile and continued in the direction we were originally headed before we were interrupted. "_I won't give you the satisfaction of me actually agreeing with you, _brother, _even if it would piss you off"_


	2. Chapter 2: Not the Best Planning

**Chapter 2**

"Hey Luna!" Garrett called, "slow down will you? You're leaving us behind!"

"Then perhaps you should speed up seeing as this is the third damn time I've had to slow down because of you!" I was starting to get sick of the constant stops we were making. Sure Mother was old, but this was getting ridiculous._ "If it wasn't for the fact that I needed you guys to help me fight off the darkspawn I would leave you behind."_

I stopped and they all caught up, breathing heavily as if they had been sprinting and not jogging. I waited a few moments and they all finally caught their breath.

"I knew you mages were all a bunch of pussies but this is going too far," I said nonchalantly as I looked at my nails.

"I wonder if you would say that after I've burned your corpse to ashes!" He retorted with angry lines appearing on his face.

_"Then wherever I'd go afterwords would be a nice reprieve from this life with this awful family."_ I didn't even hesitate with my response. "You wouldn't have the balls to do that for fear that I might cut you to shreds before you even got a chance to waggle one of your sparkle fingers into the makings of a spell!"

"Oh you little bitch!"

With that Garrett lunged at me and I drew one of my blades, and before he even came near me, I had the tip of it pressed against his throat. Mother gasped and covered her mouth in shock._ "Oh yes mother that makes perfect sense. Be afraid of the child of yours that doesn't have the greatest risk of becoming an abomination." _

"Enough!" Marian yelled. "We're already have enough problems as it is without turning on one another"

"We were never on the same side! So how the hell can we turn on each other!" With that said I removed my blade from Garrett's throat and sheathed it. I then fixed him with the "next-time-I-will-fuck-you-up" look and crossed my arms and settled into my "don't-fuck-with-me-stance."

"Please," our mothered cried, "we need to figure out where we're going."

"Somewhere where the darkspawn aren't would be the best option," I said sarcastically with one of my intoxicating smirks.

All three of them fixed me with the "that-wasn't-funny-look." And in response to their cold stares I returned one of my own. It's called the "it's-funny-how-you-think-I-care" stare and it got them to move on with the conversation.

Mother must have been thinking while she was fixing me with that stare of hers because she finally added something to our surviving the darkspawn attempt.

"We can go to Kirkwall," she said.

"Oh yes! Because we all know that marching into templar infested City-States is such a brilliant plan considering who our family members are!" I aimed that last bit towards Marian and Garrett who made it look as if they hadn't noticed, but I saw the wince in their eyes.

"I know it isn't a brilliant plan!" She snapped at me, "But we still have family there, and an estate."

Marian sighed and said, "Then we'll need to get to Gwaren and take ship."

"If we survive that long!" I said, "I'll be thankful just for getting out of here alive!" With that I threw up my hands and Ruin let out a loud bark and we continued around the bend of the path we were taking.

_"Great Kirkwall! More damned templars!"_ I have never liked templars, and not because three of my family members were, or are, being hunted by them._ "After my last…"encounter" with them… I may not be able to act normally around them. I still have the scars. Can still feel the-No! Don't think about it! You know what always happens when you do!"_


	3. Chapter 3: Better Luck?

**Chapter 3**

The sounds of metal against metal alerted me to the fact that we were walking right into another darkspawn attack. Only that this time there were others opposing them and not just us.

"Well it looks like someone started the party without us," I said with a smirk, "how inconsiderate of them."

Garrett just shot me a look, one that wasn't kind of course, and I unsheathed my sword._ "You afraid you might actually have to do something this time, so as not to appear as a pussy in front of the other humans, or elves, we come across?"_ With that thought in my head a wicked smile spread across my lips again and I charged into the direction the fight was.

What I saw shocked me. There were to people fighting the darkspawn and were obviously outnumbered. One of them was a woman whose hair seemed to be made of fire. The other was a man dressed from head to toe in the templar's uniform._ "Great a fucking templar! The Maker certainly has a wonderful sense of humor! Hmmmmm... That woman looks oddly familiar."_ Just as I surveyed the battlefield the man's sword arm was shredded by a darkspawn. At his cry the woman pounced on the darkspawn that had hurt him.

"You will not have him!" she cried.

She punched the darkspawn a few times as if to get her point across and then slit his throat with her blade. She then grabbed her fallen comrade's (templar!) shield, ran to him, and helped him up.

"They will not have you!" She said to him.

_"Well now would be as good as any time to join in on the fun."_

Between us all we managed to dispatch the darkspawn rather easily. Then when we were easing ourselves into our normal standing positions instead of our fighting stance the inevitable occurred.

"Apostates! Stand back!" The templar said.

_"Again it fucking figures that we get stuck with a templar when fleeing the darkspawn!"_ The red haired woman tried to calm the templar down saying that we saved them and that the Maker understands._ "That's bullshit! The Maker doesn't understand. If he did then the mages wouldn't be slaves and the people that helped them or lived them wouldn't have to fear dying because of it!_

He backed off, obviously defeated in the argument. This brought a smile to my face.

"Well the wrath of the templar's is terrible indeed." I said with a smile.

"More so their wives. But for now we have an accord," He said.

"Well I don't need that accord of yours seeing as I am one of the few non-mages around here." I said with my dazzling smile.

Both Marian and Garrett gave me a hostile look. That's when the red haired interrupted.

"My name is Aveline Vallen. This is my husband Wesley. We can hate each other once were safe," said Aveline.

"I knew you looked familiar!" I said, "You fought at Ostagar didn't you!"

"Yeah. You were the woman with the quick temper and incredible skill, strenght, and speed. You fought at King Cailan's side didn't you?" Aveline said in wonder.

"Yeah, and with the Grey Warden, Duncan was his name I think. Not that it did any good seeing as they all died anyway." With that I looked at my boots._ "I'm a deserter, a traitor. I should have died with them and not have fled."_

"We all did what we had to..."

"Luna. My name's Luna. And I should have stayed with them. I should have tried harder to save our King's life, but I didn't. I couldn't." My voice trailed off and stared off in the direction we should be heading.

"Well at least she got the part about you having a quick temper right, and she didn't even know you," Garrett said while he tried to smirk.

"Shut up Garrett!" I snapped at the bastard.

I shot him a glare that froze him to the spot._ "Yeah that's right. You should be afraid of me. You have no idea how easy it would be for me to kill you."_ There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then Aveline spoke up.

"For now we'll travel with you. North is cut off, we just barely escaped the main horde," she said.

"But the Wilds are to the south, and that's no way out," exclaimed Marian.

"Well if our options are south or die, then I think we should take our chances with south," I said with a hint of humor. "And seeing as you two mages can't come up with any solid plans, I think I'll lead from now on. Not to mention I've lead men before and I can come with strategies quicker and better than you."

"Oh yes, and how did those strategies and leadership skills help the men you were in charge of at Ostagar?" He said trying to hit a nerve. And he did.

"Those strategies and leadership skills kept them alive long enough to have their hopes crushed when Loghain didn't respond to the signal! It gave them the courage and will to fight even when they had doubts! It made them fight until the very end, even after it was obvious that we would all die due to his betrayal! So shut up you selfish bastard, and show some respect for those that died trying to save yours and rest the people in Thedas' lives!" I screamed at him. It was clear that he hit a nerve and worst of all is that I pretty much screamed at him where that nerve was. But I didn't care. He had no right to say such things, to be so ignorant._ "You don't know the first thing of sacrifice brother. You don't know what it was like to stare at the ranks of the darkspawn and tell your men it was going to be alright even though all logic said it wasn't."_

Aveline gave me an understanding look, but it wasn't only a look of understanding. It was also pity._ "If I wanted your pity I would ask for it! So don't you dare pity me!"_

"Let's move," I said with bitterness in the words as I headed south, towards the Korcari Wilds.


	4. Chapter 4: Fight the Tainted

**Chapter 4**

_"Even when we bottle-neck the darkspawn on this narrow path we still have difficulty. I...must just be getting tired of fight them."_ My breath started to come in gasps now. Even though I'm not going to admit it I'm beginning to feel a little fatigued. I was still, however, doing better than the others who were close to exhaustion.

"We need to stop for now Luna," said Aveline. "Wesley and your mother are having difficulty keeping up, and I need a break as well.

_"And the fact that the darkspawn are about to slaughter us all isn't pushing you guys to move faster?_

"Your right Aveline. I just wanted to get away from those darkspawn bodies so that Ruin wouldn't have to have that smell in his nose while we caught our breath." Ruin gave a short bark in reply to what I had said.

"Are you all right Mother?" I heard Marian ask._ "You always were a kiss ass Marian. This just proves it a little more."_

"I'm just not used to this much exercise," Mother responded with a smile.

That tipped me over the edge. "This isn't exercise_ Mother_! This is survival! We're running for our lives here and taking a break every ten minutes isn't helping our chances of escaping with them!" I shouldn't have said it. I instantly regretted it. She wasn't as young as she once was and she doesn't go out for a run every day to keep up her endurance._ "There's no use in feeling guilty for what you said. It's the truth, and it had to come out eventually. She had to have known too, right?"_

"Your right…Luna…I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner," Mother said. "Wesley, if you're ready to get moving then I am too."

"I've been ready, mistress."

"Then let us continue," With those words mother stood up from where she was sitting. She looked at me and there was something in her eyes._ "Is that guilt? Sadness? What's she so sad about. She should be angry at me for what I said. This doesn't make sense."_

I just turned around and continued to down the set path that was leading us towards the wilds, which seemed to be widening up ahead. That's when we came to the clearing which had darkspawn in it._ "Shit!"_ I quickly motioned everyone to get down behind the ridge we had almost passed, but luckily didn't. Thankfully the darkspawn hadn't seen us. Yet. As I surveyed the area I took a count of what we were up against._ "It looks like six Hurlock bolters, a bit of grunts, a couple of genlocks and….. Aw Shit! A Hurlock Emissary! What the hell is that thing doing here! Ugh they're always a pain in the ass to kill unless you're an archer…or a mage!_

I looked at Marian and Garrett and whispered with urgency, "I need you two to take care of the Hurlock Emissary on the left, behind the bolters!"

"The what?" said Marian with confusion.

"The big floating darkspawn that castes spells!" I hissed at her. "Wesley, Mother, I need you two to hide behind those boulders on the other side of the clearing. Aveline I need you to guard them because with our luck, there is bound to be some darkspawn that will come from behind." Aveline gave a nod but knew not to talk in case it gave away our position. I then addressed Garrett and Marian again. "When you two have dispatched the Emissary target the Hurlock bolters, but don't hit me because I'll be targeting them too."

Marian nodded in agreement and Garrett just glared at me. He clearly didn't like taking orders from me._ "Oh get over yourself Garrett! Just because you're older doesn't mean you get to lead you selfish, spineless bastard!"_ I glanced at them all and they gave a nod in return to signal they were ready.

"Stay with me boy." I said to Ruin, and then got up and ran around the ridge to the darkspawn. That's when Ruin let out a howl to signify that the battle had begun._ "Now this is what I was born to do! It's the only thing I'm better at then Marian and Garrett! It's also the one thing that allows me to be me."_ My wicked smile appeared on my face again as I unsheathed my swords as I ran.

That battle was a little bit of a blur. All that really happened was me dealing with the Hurlock bolters quickly, dropping to the ground to dodge an incoming fireball casted by Garrett, and running to Aveline's side when the darkspawn did indeed come from behind.

"Well, you certainly do get results Luna," Aveline said with a slight smile, though she was still catching her breath from the fight.

"Well, I do my best," our smiles made Ruin bark with happiness as well. "We can't rest here though," I said getting right back to the task at hand, which was none other than survival. "There looks to be a clearing up on that hill over there. We can rest once we've gotten up there. It'll be the best place to be and to see if darkspawn come."_ "It looks like I still have my touch when it comes to giving orders. I'm surprised Garrett and Marian haven't mutinied my ass yet."_

"Very well sister," said little miss innocent herself, Marian. "You've more experience with darkspawn then all of us. Well, except for maybe you Aveline."

"Why is she, the youngest of us, leading?" Garrett asked angrily

"You forgot most hated and unwanted too," I said matter-of-factly. This got silence to follow afterwards. "And to answer your question, Garrett. I'm leading because I actually know what I'm doing. When we're free and clear of the darkspawn, and you grow a pair, feel free to take the reins again. Till then, shut up and follow me!"

With that I started heading up the hill, or small mountain I should say because it was so steep._ "I know that we aren't all going to make it through this. Even though I hate Garrett and Marian I hope it's only me that dies here so that maybe Marian, Garrett, and Mother might have a happy life without me. But I'm never that lucky am I?"_


	5. Chapter 5: Berserker

**Chapter 5**

"Could you pick a steeper hill to climb up Luan?" Garrett asked as he gasped for breath.

I ignored his comment and let the others sit down and rest as I checked to make sure we were alone. Ruin followed me as we did a perimeter sweep._ "I'll give them ten minutes to catch a break. Dear Maker they're so week and pathetic! If I had it my way we would just keep moving and those that couldn't keep up can die."_ If it had been anyone else I wouldn't have thought that way, but I have no love for templars or for my family so I guess Aveline is really the only one I could see myself eventually calling a friend or even caring about...maybe.

After I checked the perimeter I walked back. There was still roughly five minutes left in there break, but something didn't feel right. Yes, this was a good position to see oncoming darkspawn but it was also a good position for telling enemies where we were.

I walked over to where the others were sitting and stood there; keeping lookout in all directions in case something did come.

"Relax Luna," said my sister.

_"How the hell do you relax when darkspawn are right on your ass and trying to kill you!"_ I replied with no emotion in my voice so as not to give away my anxiety and worry. "Marian, when you relax with an enemy on your tale the end result isn't usually the one you were hoping for." There was, however, sarcasm in my voice

Marian didn't say anything. She just nodded slowly as if she were processing the words for some hidden meaning_ "or some insult I may have slipped in. I guess that's what this family has come to. Checking each other's words to find out whether or not we need to throw and insult back."_

"I know that we haven't rested for as long as we usually do," I started but was never able to finish.

"You're cutting our break off again!" Garrett exclaimed. "Damn it Luna! We can't all run on some deep hatred for our own family like you can! If you actually cared about an actually person then maybe you would realize that we have limits to how far we can and will go!"

_"We shouldn't be yelling like this. It will attract more darkspawn and that's when we'll really be fucked! But he doesn't understand. None of them do."_ That's when I decided to show that I was the best at yelling. "I know very well about limits! I pushed myself and my men to them every day at Ostagar! But we are RUNNING for our lives! Do you know what that means! It means that if we don't ignore our limits that we will die for sure! We have already had this argument before Garrett! There is no need to bring it up again!"

He backed off, clearly defeated. That's when I realized they were all looking at me. Yes, they understood well what our situation was. And they knew that I was pushing them to hard as well._ "Duncan once told me that if we treat each other like shit that we are basically becoming that which we fight. But he wasn't running from the darkspawn then. He was standing against them, and look at what happened when he did._

"I'm sorry everyone," I said which surprised myself, especially when I realized that I was using a nice, kind tone that I had only used when speaking with my men, "but we can't stay here any longer. It isn't safe."

They all looked at me and gave me a nod. Marian, Garrett, and Mother looked surprised, as I had been, at the tone I had used. They had not heard me say nice things before. I'm usually screaming at them because I hate them all._ "And with good reason too. None of them love me so why should I! Besides I was never wanted, never cared for, and never respected so why should I be nice to them?"_

Mother was looking extremely frail at that moment, so I walked over and offered her a hand. She looked up in surprise but didn't say anything. After I had helped her up she gave me a nod of thanks. I didn't even acknowledge the fact that I had noticed. Garrett, Marian, and Aveline were already headed in the direction we should be going and were ahead of us. I made no move to take the lead, but instead stayed back with Mother and Wesley. That's when I felt it.

At first it was just a faint shaking of the earth, but it soon became something similar to tremors._ "Shit! Well this certainly doesn't look good! Fuck! I knew our luck was going to run out!"_

That's when I saw it. I huge Ogre just coming up the hill in front of us we were just about to descend. It stopped at the top of the hill, and then it charged at us _"no, at Mother."_ I grabbed Mother's arm and pulled her out of the way and pushed her against the cliff wall that had been to our right. I felt the "whoosh" of the Ogre as it flew past me with barely any space in between us.

I unsheathed my swords as it turned around. I had assumed it would come at me this time since I was the closest, but I was wrong. It started walking, or stomping, towards Mother._ "Oh no you don't! If anyone is going to die today it's going to be me! I no longer have anything to live for! I want to die you soulless bastard so come and kill me!"_

I ran towards it and brought down both of my swords down, hard, on its arm that it had outstretched towards Mother._ "Where are Garrett, Marian, and Aveline? Why aren't they helping!"_ My swords came down on that Ogre bastard's metal bracers and bounced back off of them, vibrating violently in my hands. The Ogre turned around and looked at me._ "That's right you fucking ugly bastard! I'm right here! Come and kill me!"_ What happened next was something I didn't expect. Instead of grabbing me like what Ogre's usually do, it knocked me against the cliffs that where behind me as well. I hit them extremely hard and the wind was knocked out of me. My swords fell out of my hands as I landed on the ground, and the Ogre approached me.

I stared up at it, unflinching with a burning hatred. Everything seemed to go in slow motion then. The Ogre brought its arm up and back._ "Oh. So you're going to crush me you mother fucker! Well that's certainly one way to go."_ I spit on him just as my King Cailan had when his death by an Ogre had been inevitable too. I then closed my eyes as I saw its fist come at me. That's when I felt it. Someone had a hold of the back of my armor, and pulled me out of the way. When I opened my eyes I gasped in surprise.

"NO!"

I couldn't tell if I had screamed or merely thought the word as I saw Marian smashed into the ground by the Ogre. He then grabbed her...body... and threw it against the cliffs where Mother and Wesley were hiding.

"MARIAN!" Mother screamed as she ran and collapsed by Marian, picking here up and holding her in her arms.

_"You bitch! This was supposed to be my death not yours! I was supposed to be the one to die here!"_ The Ogre turned and faced me once again, and as I reached down and picked up both of my swords I thought,_ "That's it! You! Are! Going! To! Die!"_ With that out let out a fierce cry and ran towards the Ogre. I slashed at its left leg just above the knee and I felt its flesh give way as the blade cut through. I felt the hot and sticky liquid that was its blood splash across my hands, chest, and face as it poured from its wound. I lunged at the Ogre a second time. This time I slashed at its right leg, and got my desired result. The Ogre kneeled for just a couple of seconds, but it was plenty of time for what I needed to do. I then jumped at the Ogre and ran my sword through its chest. The Ogre fell backwards with my momentum and was finally on the ground. I ripped my sword from its chest and brought both above my head.

"Race you to the Void!" I yelled at it, and then brought both of my swords down on its face. I jerked the swords to and fro to make sure the bastard was truly dead.

After I believed that the Ogre was dead I jumped off its corpse and looked around. Garrett and Aveline were fighting off darkspawn with some difficulty and there were more of them coming from both the right and left. I stalked into the center of the clearing, getting ready for the fight that I would win fueled with my rage._ "Come on! I have enough for all of you!"_ My wicked smile covered my face only this one was twisted by my anger, hatred, and rage. All of these things coursed through my body for a reason unknown by everyone, including myself.

The darkspawn finally reached me in the center of the clearing...and I slaughtered them all!


	6. Chapter 6: The Death of Blood

**Chapter 6**

_"What was that? What did I do! It's like I lost control of my actions. Like my anger took over! Is this similar to what mages have to deal with! Why must I be different too!"_

My breath came out in heavy gasps. I sheathed my swords and glanced around._ "I'm a different kind of monster; one that doesn't need to become an abomination to slaughter and kill without any control over my actions."_ I was shaking violently from what had just happened. I killed all these darkspawn without even receiving a scratch. I looked around to see if there were any more darkspawn and I saw Aveline kill the last of them. This battle is over... for now.

"Marian!" I heard Garrett cry as he ran to Mother's side. "Why you! Why did you have to die here!" He cried out in anguish as he sobbed without shame._ "Yes, why was it you Marian? Why did you save me? Why couldn't you have let me die like I wanted? You don't even care about me. Perhaps you just wanted to show how much of a better person you were like you always did."_

"YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAULT LUNA!" Mother screamed at me through her tears. "If you hadn't charged off after that Ogre my little girl would still be alive! You sister would still be alive!"

I didn't shed a tear, didn't show any emotion on my face or in my voice._ "If I lost control just on anger alone could I lose control on any other emotion besides it? Perhaps this is what it means to use the Berserker technique that some comrades tried teaching me."_

"I know," I said with a blank expression and with blank words as well.

"It figures that you wouldn't give a damn about Marian's death! You have never cared about anyone besides yourself!" He yelled at me and I just looked at him. What he said made him sound as if he wasn't aware of the fact that none of them ever cared for me._ "Do none of them realize what happened just now; that I was able to defeat that Ogre and slaughter a slew of darkspawn on my own?"_

"And why should I care about any of my family members? None of you have ever cared for me. You just barely tolerate my existence. Marian was the only one that only showed me kindness and it was the same kindness that she shows even strangers, which I was to her; which I am to all of you. So I have no reason to care for any of you" I said still in my tranquil state.

Neither Garrett nor Mother said anything. They both just looked back at Marina's motionless body. Aveline was standing by her husband, Wesley, off to the right of us clearly feeling awkward and out of place in this deep, family discussion. Wesley shuffled his feet as if he was going to say something. He was still clutching he sword arm even thought he had it in a makeshift sling.

"Allow me to commend your daughter's soul to the Maker's side, mistress." Wesley says as he suddenly breaks the silence that had ensued after what I had said. ""Ashes we were, and ashes we become. Maker, give this young woman a place at your side. Let us find comfort in the peace she has found, in eternity."

_"Dear Maker, please watch over her. It was my time to die, not hers!"_ With those words the fog that had clouded my mind from being afraid of myself had lifted, and I immediately drifted back into my old self. "At least Father will have company now," I said with a bit of my charm thrown in. I turned around and started walking.

"Flames were too late!" Said Aveline as she noticed the darkspawn at the same time I did._ "Again, another battle. How lovely!"_

Aveline, Ruin and I charged off into battle as Garrett move Wesley and Mother to a safe spot. Together we managed to kill four of the darkspawn before Garrett joined in on the battle. However, there were too many darkspawn and we wouldn't be abel to kill them all.

"There are too many of them!" Garrett said with desperation in his voice, which cracked from his previous sobbing over Marian._ "No shit Garrett! What tipped you off!"_

Then this ear splitting roar erupted from behind us. All of us cowered down, including the darkspawn, as we expected to be attacked from a dragon._ "Okay so first there were darkspawn, then there was a templar, Marian's spectacular death, and now a dragon! What the fuck! Well we at least know that our fucking luck can't any worse right!"_ I spun around and looked up. There, perched on top of the cliffs, was this huge maroon High Dragon.

The dragon let out another earsplitting, fearsome roar before launching itself off the cliff and diving towards us. Aveline, Garrett, even Ruin, and I dropped to the ground immediately as the dragon flew only inches above us.

The dragon opened its mouth and flames erupted from its jaws, lighting the area the darkspawn were at ablaze._ "It looks like we finally might catch a damn break in all this chaos!"_ The dragon did another pass by and this time it caught a few of the darkspawn in its jaws and talons. The dragon then flew upwards and dropped them from an incredible height. The darkspawn were screaming all the way down until they hit the ground._ "Well it certainly isn't the fall that kills you."_ All of us stood up and backed away from the fire as the dragon landed, sweeping its tail to kill more darkspawn and snatching one up in its talons.

The darkspawn where either dead or had fled, either way we were safe. The dragon got up on its hind legs and looked at us. Then it brought its wings together in front of itself and a bright golden light, brighter than the fire surrounded the dragon and the darkspawn it still had in its talons. I was blinded for a moment and when I was able to see again the dragon had transformed into an old woman with golden eyes that seemed to glow, bright white hair, and armor that matched the color of the scales she had when she was in here dragon form.

The woman walked towards us dragging the now dead darkspawn that was still in her hands. She walked towards us, and when she was in front of she placed a hand on her hip and looked at us with her golden eyes.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

Garrett narrowed his eyes at her. But was distracted by the sound of someone collapsing when we looked back Wesley had fallen down, presumably from blood loss._ "Not only are mages pussies, but the templars that hunt them and put them on leashes are two...well except for one."_

"It used to be we never got visitors to the Wilds, but now it seems they come in hordes," said the old woman.

I smiled._ "A dragon with a sense of humor. Who would have thought?"_

"That was quite impressive," I said with a smirk, "where did you learn to be a dragon?"

"Perhaps I am a dragon. If so you should count yourselves lucky. The smell of burning darkspawn does nothing for the appetite." She replied returning a smirk of her own. "If you wish to flee the darkspawn, you should know that you are heading in the wrong direction."

_"Oh course we're going the wrong way! Everything so far has been going wrong so I shouldn't be surprised."_ The woman turned around and started walking away. "So you're just going to leave us here?" I said. I didn't really expect her to stay and help but I thought I'd ask anyway.

"And why not?" She said with a voice that might be perceived as impatient. She turned her head to the side and then finally turned around and addressed me. "I spotted a most curious sight: a mighty Ogre vanquished. Who could perform such feat?" Her eyes seemed to burn into my own as she looked at me. "But my curiosity is sated and you are safe...for the moment. Is that not enough?" she asked clearly meaning every word.

"We can get to Kirkwall on our own," said Garrett clearly feeling left out and like he needed to take charge._ "You idiot! If you say things like that people won't ever try to help!"_

"Kirkwall? Why that's quite the voyage you plan." She said to Garrett. "Your King will not miss you?" THAT was addressed to me.

"I'm sure he'll miss his life more," I said with a sly smile.

The woman laughed, wickedly, at that. "Oh you I like!" She said. "Hurtled into the chaos, you fight... and the world will shape before you." She was still talking to me._ "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"_ The woman then turned around and said to herself "Is it fate or chance? I can never decide." She had her hand on her chin and was in deep thought.

She turned back around and walked towards us again.  
>"It appears fortune smiles upon us both today," she said. "I may be able to help you yet."<p>

"There's a catch," I said all matter-of-fact like.

She laughed again. "There is always a catch! Life is a catch! I suggest you catch it while you can!"

"Should we even trust her?" Garrett said, "We don't even know what she is."

"I know what she is. The Witch of the Wilds." Said Aveline as she stood up from where she had been crouching at Wesley's side.

"Some call me that. Also, Flemeth. Asha'bellanar. An 'old hag who talks too much'. Flemeth says and chuckles at the last name._ "Ah. A Witch of the Wilds you say. That explains the powerful magic she has in her."_

"I didn't know that Witches of the Wilds were as powerful in magic as you are." I said.

Flemeth looked at me with curiousity in her eyes. She must not have expected to be able to tell. "They're not, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I offer you this: I will get you safely past the horde in exchange for a simple delivery to a place not for out of your way. Would you do this for a Witch of the Wilds?" She put her hands away from herself as if to tell us that she was truly a Witch of the Wilds.

Garrett was about to say no but I quickly interrupted him. "It seems that we don't have much choice."

"We never do," said Flemeth. "There is a clan of Dalish elves near the city of Kirkwall. Deliver this amulet to their Keeper, Marethari. Do as she asks with it and any debt between us is paid in full." Flemeth turned back around before she spoke again. "Before I take you anywhere, however, there is another matter..." Her voice trailed off at the last word and she looked at Wesley who was coughing terribly. I instantly understood what she meant, as did Aveline.

"No! Leave him alone!" Aveline said as she put herself between us and Wesley.

"What has been done to your man is in his blood already," Flemeth said with an eerie, calm tone.

"You lie!" Aveline said with a snarl.

"She's right Aveline," said Wesley. Aveline just looked down. "I can feel the corruption inside me."

"This corruption is the permanent sort, I take it." I said lightly. Garrett shot me an angry look._ "What I'm not allowed to have my times of insensitivity but you're allowed to be an insensitive asshole all the time?"_

"The only cure I know of is to become a Grey Warden," replied Flemeth.

"And they all died at Ostagar," I said with a slight sigh as I shifted my weight from one foot to another.

"Not all," said Flemeth, "but the last are now beyond your reach."

Aveline moved to her husband's side, and crouched down, closer to him.

"Aveline, listen to me."

"You can't ask me this! I won't!"

"Please. The corruption is a slow death. I can't..." his voice trailed off.

I knelt down on Wesley's other side and Aveline looked at me for help, advice, and an order._ "Even though I had a higher rank than you doesn't mean you have to look at me for orders all the time."_

"He's your husband Aveline. We can't decide his fate."

"Be strong...my love."

Aveline brought out her dagger and placed on his armor where his heart was. Wesley nodded and let out a soft cry as the dagger plunged in. His last breath soon followed. Aveline, still kneeling by her husband closed his eyes, bowed her head, and stood there for a moment.

"Without an end, there can be no peace. It gets no easier. You struggles have only just begun." Said Flemeth as she walked in the direction we needed to go.

We all followed her, even Mother who I thought we would have had to drag away from Marian's body._ "Damn I always hated cryptic, foreshadowing bullshit! At least it's better than a templar."_


	7. Chapter 7: The Beginning of a Year

**Chapter 7**

_"Maker I hate ships! We had better be landing in Kirkwall soon! It's already been two weeks!"_

"Kirkwall is in sight!" a crew member called.

"Thank the Maker!" said someone who was also below deck with us.

"Well it's a little reassuring that we aren't the only ones fleeing to Kirkwall," I said to Aveline. She gave a small nod.

"But we almost weren't going to get to Kirkwall because of Ruin," she said with a hint of a smile._ "It looks like she managed to cope with Wesley's death now."_

"Nobody can resist a mabari's puppy dog eyes forever. Not even a captain with a stick so far up his ass-"

"Perhaps you shouldn't insult the guy who just barely got us out of Ferelden, Luna!" Garrett hissed at me._ "Good to know that you're still mad at me brother."_

Once the ship had docked we all unloaded,_ "like cattle"_ and we walked into the city.

"That's strange. There not letting anyone inside the gates," said Aveline.

That got me to laugh. "I'm only surprised they let us dock."

"They're Fereldans, just like us," said Mother.

"And they would throw us back to the wolves. Well this was a complete waste of time. We escaped the darkspawn only to be turned away by those who can help us," said Garrett bitterly.

"The guards seem to be reporting to that man over there. Perhaps we should speak with him?" asked Aveline.

"Hell, it's worth a shot I guess." I said. "Garrett, why don't you lead. After all we are well away from the darkspawn, or have you not grown a pair yet?"

Garrett shot me a look of pure hatred as he walked over to the guards.

Those guards, once we talked to them, then pointed us in the direction of another guard who looked to be their superior. He was addressing other refugee's like us as well. Deserters like us as well too.

"Hey Aveline," I said to her, "you recognize those guys as well?"

"Yeah," she said, "they were at Ostagar."

"Small world eh?"

She just gave me a short nod in response

The guard we were supposed to talk to was telling the other refugees that they should turn around because there was no room in the city. The rest of whatever was lost to me because I was no longer paying attention. I wasn't leading so why should I?_ "So this is the Gallows? An old slave prison no less. You know, that's kind of creepy really, templars keeping the mages locked up here."_

"But we have family here!" I heard Garrett cry out in frustration.

"I have heard dozens of claims like that today. Go back down to the docks and we'll get ships to take you back soon. That's all I can guarantee," said the guard.

Garrett was handling this badly, so I decided to step in. "You know if you find our uncle, Gamlen Amell, you might just have fewer refugees to worry about."

"Gamlen. I know that name."

"He's a nobleman in the city," said Garrett.

"The only Gamlen I know couldn't rub to silvers together. Tell you what, if he comes back I'll bring him to you," said the guard.

"What! You're going to let them through?" exclaimed the other refugees. The heavily armed refugee's at that.

"Just to be clear he never did say he was going to let us in," I said glaring at them.

The other refugees are clearly stupid and ignored what I said. "That's it men, we're busting in!"

_"What an idiot."_ I killed the leader first. One fluid motion of my blade was all it took to remove his head from his neck. The others were just as easy to kill even though there was a good number of them.

After our little spat was over the guard came back talked to Garrett some more while I didn't pay any attention what so ever.

"He said that he'd look for Gamlen and bring him to us when he found him," said Garrett.

"So we just get to sit in the Gallows and wait till he comes back. Wonderful." I said throwing as much sarcasm into it as I could.

"Hey I didn't say it was going to be a nice wait, I just said that we were going to have to wait!" Garrett was getting impatient with me. Probably because he wanted me dead to avenge Marian or he wanted me dead instead of Marian. My money was on the last one.

"Whatever," I said and walked away.

"Hey where are you going!" asked Mother.

"I am going to go wait in the shade. You all can stay out in the sun and sweat to death if you like, but I'm certainly not going to join you." I said carelessly still walking towards the shade._ "Not to mention I burn easily."_

* * *

><p>Three days later we were still in the Gallows. I was sitting down and leaning against some kind of statue of a bird, Garrett was standing up and leaning against the same statue to the right of me, Aveline was pacing impatiently, and Mother was standing to the left of me looking at the ground still probably mourning for Marian.<p>

"It's been three days!" said Aveline, "This waiting has to end!"

"I'm sure it won't be much longer. Gamlen must still be looking for us," said Mother with a hopeful voice._ "I think you're trying to convince yourself more than us, Mother dear."_

"This must be him," said Garrett as he stood up straight and turned towards one of the gates.

An ugly, grey haired man walked into the Gallows and towards us.

"Gamlen!" Mother cried as she threw her arms him.

"Damn girl, the years certainly haven't been kind to you!" said Gamlen with a smile. "Listen I wasn't expecting this, you know the Blight, your husband...dead."

"Oh! Gamlen we didn't get here in time. My Marian didn't make it here, Andraste guide her." Said Mother completely ignoring what Gamlen had just said.

"Leandra, please, don't drop this on me here, not now. I don't even know if I can get you into the city," he said proving him to be the asshole I thought he would be.

"Figures," I said in a very unimpressed tone. I turned to the side and folded my arms completely ignoring them all._ "Let Garrett solve this problem. He was pissed off before because he wasn't making decisions or the one talking now he can have that job."_

I hadn't even known how long they had been talking, or what they had been talking about until Garrett said something to me. "What do you think about this Luna?" was all he said to me.

"Huh?"

"Who do you think we should sell ourselves to for a year? Smugglers or mercenaries?" he elaborated for me.

"I say the mercenaries. I'm already good at fighting and killing and, by the looks of what you tried to pass off as fighting in Ferelden, I think you need to learn how," I said with a sarcastic smile and tone.

Garrett just glared at me, and then finally mumbled something the resembled the word "fine" before heading to the leader of the Red Iron.

The Red Iron, being the greatest mercenary company in all of Kirkwall, wanted to make sure we were worth their while and Meran, the leader, told us to go kill Frederick because he gave them some bad info and almost got his men killed to prove ourselves. I really didn't think this little task of the Red Iron's was actually a test at all seeing as we easily killed Frederick and his men without any incident or having to break out into a sweat.

When we got back to Meran he looked at us questioningly and I couldn't help but smiling and saying, "Dead and buried. Well, dead at least."

"Good! May the bloody vultures feast upon his corpse and shit him out into the ocean!" Replied Meran with a laugh.

I turned to Garrett and said, "I like this guy."

"Of course you would. He's a bloodthirsty lunatic like you...no offense Meran," Garrett replied quickly making sure he hadn't offended the guy who was going to get us into the city.

"None taken. Go tell your uncle we'll make the arrangements. Oh, and welcome to the Red Iron," Meran said before walking away.

Garrett, Aveline and I walked up to Gamlen. He was talking to Mother about something and didn't even hear us approach. He almost jumped out of his skin when he noticed that we were standing behind him.

"Well?" he asked us.

"Was there ever any doubt," I asked with a smile.

"I'm going to go talk to the guard and make sure Meran stays true to his word," and with that Gamlen walked away.

"Well, we finally made it," said Garrett with relief in his voice.

"Let's not run for our lives anymore unless we really have to," I said calmly.

"If only Marian were here," Mother said with a sob.

"And Wesley," Aveline said quietly afterwards.

I walked forward and turned back to look at them. "Let's go. Something tells me this is only the beginning."


	8. Chapter 8: A Chance

**Chapter 8**

"Listen, we heard that you're going into the Deep Roads, so that means that you'll need the best, and we're—"

"No!" said the dwarf, Bartrand, as he interrupted me. "Andraste's tits human, do you know how many people want to sign up for this expedition?"

"But we've fought darkspawn before," I said, "how many of your hired men can say the same?" It sounded as if I was a child, making excuses for her parents._ "It's pathetic that I have to be reduced to this. If he wasn't the chance we needed to get out of the slums and to have something to hide behind in case the templars came I would have killed him on the spot for making me humiliate myself like this."_

"I don't care if you've torn the horns off an Ogre just to get here," Bartrand said. "I said no!"

"You talk to him! After all it's your templars we're running from."

"My sister has a point," Garrett said, "it's on her head but it's still valid."

"Love you too, Garrett." I made those words as insulting as I possibly could, glaring at him as I did. He couldn't look me in the eyes; nobody could, or ever has been able to. I think they can't because my eyes are bright white and they find them unsettling, or perhaps they don't have the will to keep on looking. Something tells me it's the first one though.

"Get to know us Bartrand. I'm sure that if just found out who we are and how—"

"Listen pal, everyone in Kirkwall wants to be my best friend right now," Bartrand paused and took in another breath. "You're looking for a quick way out of the slums right? You and every other Fereldan in this dump," he said while ignoring the question he just asked us. "Find another meal ticket." And with that he walked away from us.

"Damn!" I said, "We needed this job badly too. Especially since our year with the Red Iron ended."

"Yeah, they were the only thing that kept people from selling me out." Garrett looked at me and finally added, "Why do you care? After all templars hounding us are mine."

"Helping apostates is a hanging offense here, brother." Then I smiled and laughed. "Shit! I'm starting to sound like Gamlen aren't I?"

"Well I wasn't going to say anything but..."

"Shut up Garrett, I never asked you!" I said with a laugh.

"Hey I just had an idea," said Garrett.

"Alert the Chantry! They need to put this on the calendar!" I said jokingly.

"Shut up and listen will you," he said angrily. "Gamlen might be able to talk to Bartrand, or even get us some jobs. He has a nose out for this sort of garbage."

I sighed. "Well it's said that you catch more flies with honey...but I guess Gamlen's bullshit could work to."

"Hey he got us into the city didn't he?" replied Garrett.

"Barely," I said as we walked back towards Hightown's market.

We were almost at the market when some stupid red head bumped into me. People always bumped into you in Kirkwall so it was nothing new. But when I felt my belt my coin purse was gone.

"Son of a—Hey!" I called as I spun around and ran after him. Now I was the fastest runner in all of Ferelden and that didn't change when I got to Kirkwall, but the red haired punk had a bit of a head start so it would take me a minute to catch up to him, but when I turned the corner I saw the punk pinned to the wall with a crossbow bolt protruding from his shoulder and a blond haired dwarf talking to him.

I couldn't hear what the dwarf was saying to him, but I saw the punk give him my coin purse. The dwarf just smiled, hit him hard in the jaw, and pull out his bolt.

"Off you go." I heard the dwarf say as the punk slid to the ground and the dwarf walked towards me (and Garrett who had finally managed to catch up).

When the dwarf finally was in front of me he tossed me my coin purse and said, "How do you do? Varric Tethras, at your service," as he did some fancy little spinny thing with the crossbow bolt before he tucked it into his pocket.

"I apologize for Bartrand," Varric said, "he wouldn't know an opportunity if it hit him square in the jaw."

I crossed my arms, shifted my weight onto one foot, and smiled at him, "But you would?" I said with amusement.

"I would," he replied with a smile. "What my brother doesn't realize is that we need someone like you." He paused for a moment. "My brother would never admit it. He's too proud; I, however, am quite practical."

"You seem to be going awfully far out of your way just to hire another guard," I said analyzing what he was saying. I was making sure there wasn't a trick or a catch that would screw us over in the end.

"We don't need another hireling," said Varric. "We need a partner. The truth is Bartrand has been pulling out his beard out trying to fund this on his own, but he can't do it. Invest in the expedition. Fifty sovereigns and he can't refuse, not with me there to vouch for you."

"I hope there's more to this plan of yours than that," I said. "Like how I'm supposed to get all that coin." He proposition was solid, and he was a good businessman that's for sure._ "If he can come up with a response to what I just threw out there, I might just agree."_

"You need to think big," he said. "There's only a brief window after a Blight when the Deep Roads won't be crawling with darkspawn. The treasure you find down there could set you and your family up for life." He added with a smile.

"You started this Luna," Garrett said to me. "We might as well finish it. It is still a chance after all."

"We work together, you and I, and before you know it you'll have all the capital you'll need. What do ya say?" asked Varric in that charming voice of his.

"Why not?" I said with a smile. "It's not like I had anything better planned anyways."

"Perfect!" he said with a smile and a laugh. "Kirkwall's crawling with work. You set aside some coin from every job and you'll have the money in no time."

"Alright Garrett, that's your job seeing as you need something to hide behind more than me."

"Hey your helping too, ya here!" Garrett replied angrily.

"Down boy! I was just joking. No need to bite!" I said with a sarcastic tone and my killer smirk. "Perhaps I should have added 'or growling' to list the list," I added after I caught his angry stare. "Garrett perhaps you should go see if Aveline's got some work. She has a position in the guard now so she may have something."

"Why? Where are you going?" He asked clearly still mad at me for my last comments.

"I'm going to go check the Chanter's board."

"Fine!" he said in an angry tone and left for the Viscount's Keep.

When he was out of earshot I looked at Varric and said "Don't worry, he's always been like that."

"And you live with him? Hah! You have my sympathies then," he said with a snort. "By the way, we should talk privately when we get the chance, in the Hanged Man, maybe. I'll be there when I'm not with you or being chewed out by Bartrand. Now," he said with a pause, "let's go see what trouble we can stir up."

"Ah yes! Onward to the incredible adventure of getting to the Chanter's board!" I said, smiling. "You don't have to tag along Varric. I'll meet you at the Hanged Man after I've checked the Chanter's for any jobs, caught up with Garrett, and checked on my family back...at the hovel my uncle calls a home."

Varric laughed, "Thanks. Just don't forget to meet me alright?"

"You seem awfully eager to get me alone," I smirked and winked at him.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but I'm already spoken for." With that he pulled out his crossbow and kissed it.

"Your crossbow?"

"No, Bianca," said Varric as he returned her to his shoulder.

"Right," I dragged that word out a little then giggled. "See you later Varric."

"Try not to strain yourself as you walk all the way to the Chanter's board, Luna," with that he smiled, gave me a nod, and headed towards Lowtown.

I laughed aloud to myself when he had left._ "I already have more friends than I did in Lothering and I've only been here a year. That's quite sad actually, and incredibly funny. Something tells me this is going to be quite the adventure." I kept smiling to myself with that thought in my head as I made my way to the Chanter's board._


	9. Chapter 9: Thoughts of a Sister

**Chapter 9**

_"Luna's certainly changed since we came here. She isn't angry all the time like she used to be. She actually smiles and laughs now. Perhaps she enjoyed working with the Red Iron more than she let on. Hah, Luna always did love a good fight! Maybe she was only angry around us, her family, not that we ever treated her as such. We never paid her any attention; none of us did, including Mother and Father."_

_"Aveline doesn't seem to think there was a change in her though. She once mentioned to me that Luna was a lot livelier than this at Ostagar, before everything went wrong. I have a hard time imagining that, probably because she was always yelling at us and had this sneer on her face whenever she was around us. Her family that is."_

_"I guess she's acting like her true self now because she's pretty much on her own like Ostagar. I should be happy for her but she still annoys me and I still hate her. After all, it is HER fault that Marian's dead!"_

Garrett thought about his sister and her turn in behavior over the past year as he walked to the Viscount's Keep to ask Aveline if she had any jobs for them. Her change in attitude puzzled him, as did the fact that she was no longer JUST his little sister.

_"She's turned into quite the beautiful woman," he thought. "She's...certainly grown in all...the right places to attract a man. Her black hair is down to the middle of her back and long hair is always sexy. Her eyes...could be seen as gorgeous...I guess, even if they are certainly unsettling when she fixes you with a stare with them. Who's ever heard of someone with bright, white eyes?"_

_"Yes, she has everything a man would want. Nice curves, tight and fit body, fair skin, pale skin as well which resembles ivory, she's five foot eight which is a perfect height, and...well she does have a nice bosom but I'm only stating this from a brother's perspective that is observing his sister's growth and nothing else! ...Hmmm...It looks like I will have to look out for her now when it comes to men trying to claim her. I still hate her though, and can't stand her company. She never takes things seriously still."_

Because Garrett was so focused on his thoughts he arrived at the Viscount's Keep faster than he expected. As he walked to through the court yard he heard several people mention that refugees should stay in their place and that the guards are letting anyone into Hightown now. This made Garrett's blood boil._ "You're only noble because you've got money! But the true nobility are the people who try to help others that are less fortunate then themselves, or the people who help others even though they're in the same, or worse, conditions!"_

He wanted to grab the next person who said anything, but like always her remained quiet and didn't draw any attention to himself. That was one of the easiest ways to keep the templars from breathing down his neck more than they already were. The templars were aware that there were Fereldan refugee apostate's in Kirkwall. They just didn't know who they were...yet.

Garrett walked into the Keep and headed to the barracks where he knew Aveline would be. He was aware of the many dirty looks and remarks he got from the nobles that were waiting for an audience with Viscount Dumar. But Garrett didn't pay any attention to them, he never did.

Aveline was in the barracks of course. She was checking the duty roster, or just standing in front of it, Garrett could never figure what women were thinking or doing when they were looking at something. It was often the opposite of what he thought.

"Aveline," he said in a voice that only sounded as recognition._ "Maker! Maybe Luna is right about me needing to work on my people skills."_

"Hello Hawke," Aveline said. She always called Garrett "Hawke" and Luna, well, "Luna." It was something she did; Garrett guessed that it was because she didn't like him that much.

"That's it?" he asked.

"And your greeting was so much better?" she asked. Finally she turned around and looked at him. "I apologize any way. It just seems like I've talked to you and Luna recently." She paused then resumed what she had been saying. "I've been keeping an eye on you two. I owe you guys a lot so I figured I might as well try and help keep—"

"Thanks Aveline," Garrett quickly interrupted her so that she didn't have to finish that last of the sentence, "but I don't think Luna will appreciate the fact that you were spying on us again, no matter how good you intensions may be. I can't say that I do either."

"It's the only thing that's kept me from sleeping on your doorstep. Besides information is one of the perks of this job. You should watch out for Bartrand, he's a son of a bitch."

"Right now he's our only option to keep...our "friends"... off of our backs."

"Fine, fine," she said. "If you need anything just holler. Maker knows I could use more satisfying work." She finished with a frown, clearly not liking the fact that she wasn't really helping people like she should.

"So, have you eavesdropped anything useful?" Garrett asked trying to pull of the levity that Luna has. He failed though.

"You know better than to ask that!" Aveline said firmly.

Garrett brought up his hands to signal peace, "I'm here under orders from Luna. Technically it's her asking not me."

"It looks like you're still covering your ass with Luna's," she said sourly. "But there may be something. There's an ambush by highway men tomorrow at noon. I don't why or who, but it doesn't matter, they need to be stopped."

"Very well, Aveline. Luna and I will break some necks for you," Garrett said with a sly smile.

Aveline laughed, "I knew I could count on you two. Meet me here tomorrow morning alright."

"Alright," he said, "have a good day Aveline." Garrett then turned around and started to leave the barracks.

"And you too!" he heard Aveline call after him.

* * *

><p><em>"I hope Aveline has some work, because the Chanter's board is looking pretty empty right now."<em>

I walked calmly in the Chantry's courtyard to the board, someone was already there though. He was a tall man with reddish brown hair that was wearing shiny white armor and chainmail. He also had a bow and quiver slung across his back. I almost kept on walking but I noticed Grand Cleric Elthina and stopped dead in my tracks.

"You can't do this Sebastian!" Elthina yelled. She waited for a response but the man, Sebastian, kept on posting something on the board. "The Chantry cannot condone revenge, Sebastian!" She said at last.

"It is my right, my duty, to show these assassins there is nowhere to hide in the Free Marches," said Sebastian as he turned to Elthina._ "That has got to be the sexiest accent I have ever heard."_

Sebastian then started to walk away. Elthina ripped his post of the Chanter's board and waved it in the air as she said, "This is murder!"

An arrow shot from Sebastian's bow nailed the post back to the Chanter's board. "No," he said, "what happened to my _family_ was murder!" He turned back around and bumped into me as he stormed out of the courtyard.

Elthina looked as if she was about to take Sebastian's post from the board again but stopped and left it up there._ "That Sebastian has quite the aim, and the looks...and the gorgeous blue eyes..."_

I finished walking up to the Chanter's board and looked at what Sebastian wanted done. As I read his post my jaw immediately fell open._ "By the blood of Andraste, he's Prince Sebastian Vael! Well I'm certainly not going to be able to get to know him, but I guess I can still do what he's asked...hmmm...so he wants me to kill the Flint Company Mercenaries that murdered his family. At least it won't be boring."_

I informed the Chanter that I was indeed going to do this and she gave me a letter that had more instructions inside. I gave her my thanks and walked back to the market where I bumped into Garrett who told me about Aveline's job about some kind of ambush tomorrow._ "Well the ambush site is close to the Wounded Coast and Sundermount, where two of the three groups of mercenaries are, so we could kill a couple of birds with one stone."_ I looked up at the sky and noticed that not even half of the day was gone. Time must go by slower than I actually think apparently.

Garrett and I walked back to Gamlen's hovel in silence. I had told him about my plan to kill three birds with a stone and he agreed by saying it was a good plan. And that was it. That was all he said on our entire trip from Hightown to Lowtown, to...home I guess.


	10. Chapter 10: Look for the Lantern

**Chapter 10**

When Garrett and I walked into Gamlen's "home" Mother was in a heated discussion with him. I rolled my eyes and walked away._ "I'm not listening to another argument between them unless I have to. They're always about the same things anyway."_

I walked into the "room" I shared with Mother and pulled grabbed the book that kept hidden under my "pillow". Ruin walked up and huffed in my face before resting his head on my shoulder.

"I'll take you out for a walk when I go talk to Varric in a minute boy I promise." Ruin barked a happy response and I patted him on the head.

"My children have been in servitude—servitude!—for a year. They should be nobility!" I let out a sigh._ "I didn't want to read anyway."_ I walked back into the main room where Gamlen and Leandra were arguing._ "Hah! Brother and sister fighting again...now where have I heard that before?"_ I smiled at this thought and opened the door, quickly erasing that smile._ "Looks like I'm going to have to separate them again."_

"If wishes were poppy, Leandra, we'd all be dreamers!" Gamlen said angrily

That's when I decided to interrupt, "You're telling me that this isn't a dream? Ha-ha I guess that would be why I haven't woken up yet." I said sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood.

"And here I thought she married an apostate, not a jester." Gamlen said to me.

I frowned at him. Ruin who had followed me growled at Gamlen for a second, then stopped. That's when Garrett came in too. He must have heard something going on, because it was hard not to, and decided to watch from the front lines.

"You're mother was supposed to marry the Comte de Luancet." Gamlen then addressed Mother again. "You don't get to stay the favorite when you do that."

"Where is Fathers will? Maybe if I could just see it for myself—" Leandra started.

"It's not here alright!" said Gamlen, "It was read, it went in the vault. No one needed to see it again!"

"I don't know about you, sister, but that sounded to me like it touched a nerve." Garrett said with his arms folded. He could look intimidating when he wanted to, I'll give him that. "What's in there that you don't want us to see?"

"Nothing!" Gamlen said holding up his hands. "It doesn't matter anyway. You can't get at it since it's in the cellar, which is now owned by someone else."

"What kind of daft bastard leaves something like that behind!" I asked disgusted. "It's your parents will. Doesn't that mean anything!"

"It was old news!" Gamlen said trying to defend himself.

"Who bought the estate Gamlen? Perhaps if I could—" Mother tried to be a part of the conversation and to be peaceful, but it didn't work.

"It's no one you know!" Gamlen took in a breath. "Get used to Lowtown, sister, that's where we're staying!"

I had enough of Gamlen by this point. I grabbed Gamlen's arm and spun him around, half leading, half dragging him to the door. "I think you need to go for a walk dear uncle, get some fresh air." Before Gamlen could say anything a let out a whistle and Ruin tagged along. "I'll be back in a bit Garrett. Be ready to leave just in case alright?"

"Very well...sister."

With that Ruin and I walked out the door as I dragged Gamlen behind us. When we were outside I shoved Gamlen down the stairs leading to his hovel. He wasn't able to catch his balance and fell all the way down the stairs on to the ground.

"Your brother was right," Gamlen grumbled. "You really ARE a bitch."

"Only to people I don't like," I responded and headed for the Hanged Man with Ruin at my heels.

The Hanged Man wasn't very far from Gamlen's hovel and by the time I got there it still wasn't even close to the evening yet._ "Time seems to move slowly here. Perhaps because in Ferelden I always had something to do whether it was farming, running from templars, or joining the army."_

When I walked into the Hanged Man the smell of cheap alcohol, stale piss, and vomit greeted me._ "This is my kind of tavern."_ I thought with a smile. I asked one of the waitresses, Norah was her name I think, where I could find Varric and she pointed up the stairs and said that he was in the room straight in front of them. I thanked her and headed towards the room.

There I was greeted by Varric, who got to business without saying a hello. I wasn't expecting one anyway.

"Bartrand knows where to go once we get into the Deep Roads, but we need a good entrance," he said.

I smiled and said, "The only bad entrance I can think of is one that a dragon's sitting on."

He chuckled, "I don't think we even have one of those. Not that it would matter. You'd be able to clear the entrance with the dragon on it."

"I am woman hear me roar?" I asked with my smile broadening.

"Nah!" he said returning the smile. "You just seem like the type of person who knows how to kick ass."

"Indeed I do."

"Anyway, there's a rumor that there's a Ferelden Grey Warden in Kirkwall. If anyone would know about the Deep Roads 20 silver says he would."

"I'm not going to take you up on the bet Varric. Grey Wardens know things that you least expect, or even do expect, them to know. They're mystical like that." I shook my head and looked at him again. "It sounds like you've got everything planned out," I smiled.

"And that, messere, is why I'm here," he said bowing. I couldn't help but laugh. "There's a local woman named Lirene here in Lowtown helping the Fereldan refugees. She might know about the Grey Warden."

"That seems likely," I said, "and it makes sense. Let's go talk to her now, while the day is still young."

"Very well Luna," he said. "Lead the way."

* * *

><p>It took a couple of seconds for my eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight. "You'll get used to light difference soon Luna," Varric said.<p>

"I hope that's a promise." Ruin barked, thinking that what I said was a good thing. When my eyes finally adjusted I saw Garrett heading towards us. "Do you want catch him up to speed, or shall I tell him?"

"I will. I imagine you take enough shit from him as it is."

I just laughed at that. Varric was able to fill Garrett in on the major details rather quickly. Then Garrett told me his plan to get the will from the vault. I thought it was pointless, and I told him so. The only reason I agreed to help was because he told me that Gamlen had signed everything over to slavers and killing slavers never loses its fun._ "The name Amell means nothing to me. I would rather move on and make something for myself than try to dig something back up from the past. Garrett's only doing this because he needs something to hide behind."_

"Alright then," I said, "Let's go to Lirene's." I turned to Ruin, "You go home okay? You might scare the refugees, and you WILL scare the Kirkwallers that's for sure." He let out a woof and headed back for the hovel.

"Mabari's really are as smart as they say," said Varric in wonder.

"To smart if you ask me," replied Garrett.

Garrett, Varric and I walked to Lirene's in silence. There wasn't much to talk about anyway. Lowtown was quiet today. Well, quiet for now at least. That quiet didn't last when we entered "Lirene's Ferelden Imports" however. There were people crowded in these tiny rooms. All of them were Fereldans, looking for jobs, food, money, and help. Garrett took the lead this time and walked towards the woman who looked in charge, and was probably Lirene. I was about to follow him when on I noticed the donations box on the table next to me. I had 10 sovereigns on me at that time. Five of them were earned while I was in the King's army. The other five I got...from a friend._ "Now's not the time to think about him. We have more to do then just hang on to the dead."_ I dropped five sovereigns into the box before walking next to Garrett.

"...well he's not one anymore! And he's busy enough without answering fool questions about it." Said the woman I took to be Lirene. I looked over at Varric and he gave me a nod to tell me that it was her.

"Who are you protecting?" asked Garrett clearly just wanting a straight-forward answer.

"You've seen what are people are dealing with," she said ignoring his question. "They have no homes, no jobs, and some of them can't even afford to buy bread. But this healer helps them without any thought for coin, or for himself." Lirene hesitated for a moment then finally said, "I won't lose him to the blighted templars."

Garrett was obviously about to say something but I beat him to it. "Tell me he's got killer eyes and a nice smile. I'll marry him on the spot," I said with a smile and charm.

Lirene laughed and said, "As it happens he's got the eyes. But I've never seen him smile. It's always seemed like he must have lost even more than the rest of us." She finished off in a sad note. "I suppose you can—"

Lirene never got to finish because then a little girl, possibly eight, burst through the doors.

"My older brothers been hurt real bad!" she cried. "He was working in the Bone Pit with my father when a crate fell on top of him. We got him back home, but now he's coughing up blood!"

This tugged at my heart. Little kids weren't supposed to be going through things like this.

I walked quickly to the little girl and bent down over where she had collapsed, gasping her breath._ "Poor thing. She must have been running hard."_

"Sweetheart, tell me where your brother is and how old is he."

"He's at our home. We live in the second row of the shanties here. It's the third door on the left. He's twelve," she was able to get those words out fast even though she was still out of breath.

"Good girl. Go home and tell your family that help will be there soon." I then looked at Lirene. "Where's the healer?" I asked firmly.

"Darktown," she said, "look for the lit lantern. But how do you know you'll make it back in time?"

"I was the fastest runner back in Ferelden. Now I'm the fastest runner in Ferelden AND Kirkwall." I looked at Garrett and Varric. "Meet me at the Hanged Man."

Then I ran out off Lirene's, and sprinted all the way to Darktown. Not even an Archdemon would have been able to catch me.


	11. Chapter 11: Well Met, Healer

**Chapter 11**

My heart was thudding in my chest as I ran. My breathing came faster but it wasn't ragged, it came out evenly and rhythmically._ "This healer better be here. If he's not that girls bother won't live. I have to get there quickly"_

The darkness and dankness told me I was in Darktown before I even saw it. There was garbage and waste everywhere and the smell was unbearable. But I guess this could be a good place to hide from templars. I concentrated on looking for a lit lantern._ "Come on! Where is it?"_

Then I saw it. There were to doors with lit lanterns above each._ "Jackpot!"_ I ran to the doors and tried both handles. They were locked. So I tried knocking on the doors. I pounded on one of them three times._ "Please be here."_ I waited a few seconds before I pounded on the doors soon as I had stopped knocking on the door it was suddenly flew inwards and a man came out and put the knife that was in his left hand up to my throat. He was tall, possibly six foot, he had blond hair that was pulled back, only half of it was really, and he had gorgeous brown eyes.

"I have made this place a sanctum of healing and salvation," he said and narrowed his eyes at me, "why do you threaten it?"

My breath was caught in my throat. But it wasn't because of the knife. I wasn't expecting the healer to look...so good._ "Now's not the time to think about those kinds of things!"_ I slowly turned my head and looked at him. I felt the knife go into my skin as I did, and felt a little bit of blood roll down my neck. "Because I seek your aid for a little boy that had a crate in the Bone Pit fall on him and is now coughing up blood." The man hesitated, not knowing whether or not I was telling the truth. "I was at Lirene's when his little sister came running in crying, just barely able to tell us what happened. I swear to you, I'm not lying."

"I believe you. " He removed the knife from my throat, "How long ago was this?"

"About five minutes ago is when the little girl told me, other than that I don't know how long he was coughing up blood."

He was quickly gathering some things together. "You ran all the way here that quickly?" he asked trying to hide his surprise.

"Yeah," I said, "I'm the fastest runner in Ferelden and Kirkwall now." I paused for a moment. "Listen if you give me something to help him I can run ahead and give it to him. I'm good at following orders and I'm a very fast and decent runner." I could see that what I said was registering with him. "If it makes a difference in what you use, the little girl said that her brother is twelve."

"It does," he said then paused for a moment, "thank you."

"Don't thank me unless he lives," I said quickly.

The man turned back to me and handed me a potion. "Give this to the boy and have him drink a fourth of it if he looks smaller than he should be for his age. If he looks the right size or bigger, give him half." I nodded to show I understood. He then handed me a syringe. "Inject him," he grabbed my arm and placed his thumb on the major vein in the middle of my forearm, "here with this. It will slow his heart rate and cause the blood to move slower, and therefore his lungs won't fill up with blood as fast. Don't give him more than half of it though."

"I understand," I said quickly. "Second row of the shanties in Lowtown. It's the third door on the left. Left, not right, okay?"

He nodded and I turned around and ran. I ran faster than I did when I was trying to get here._ "This mage better know what he's doing."_

When I got to the little girls house I didn't even have to knock before the door was opened to me. The girl's father had opened it and looked confused by the fact that I was alone.

"The healer's on his way ser," I said switching to the Ferelden dialog. "I ran ahead to help your boy. Please, take me to him."

"This way," he said as he led me into one of the back rooms.

The boy was skinner than he should be. As I walked in he turned his head and he coughed one of the most terrible coughs I had ever heard. His mother wiped his face to get rid of the blood. I wanted to break down and cry._ "No kids should have to have this happen to them!"_ I quickly went to the boys side and I could hear that he was having difficulty breathing.

"Sweetie," I said calmly and charmingly, "I need you to drink this alright?"

"Why?" he asked weakly.

"Because it's a magic potion," I said in my "everything's-going-to-be-alright voice." "And it's going to help you feel better, as is the healer when he gets here."

The boy said nothing but lifted his head up. I tipped the potion back and let a fourth of the liquid pour down his through. When he had swallowed the right amount of potion, I had to grab his head to keep it from slamming on the bed._ "It must numb his senses and make him sleepy."_ I then took out the syringe and looked at his mother, "Don't let him watch," I mouthed to her. She nodded and then started talking to her son, saying things, like he's a brave boy and that everything was going to be alright._ "He said no more than half, but he's skinnier than the average boy. What do I do?"_ I quickly made a decision right there and then, like I always did on the battle field. I slowly put the syringe in him and injected a third of the liquid into him. Once that was done I put one of my hands on his neck to check his pulse, which reduced a lot very quickly, but it kept going. The boys breathing slowed down quite a bit too.

I kept my hand on his pulse and ran my other hand around his arms and chest to see if coughing up blood was the only problem._ "Where is that damn healer!"_ I found that the boy had broken his right arm in two different places. He also had three cracked ribs on his right side, and two broken one on the left._ "Those broken ribs probably punctured his lung."_ I finally heard a knock on the door.

_"About damn time!"_ I breathed a sigh of relief, but I made sure the others didn't hear. The healer walked into the room and asked everyone to leave. I removed my hand from his neck and backed up, but he shook his head. He wanted me to stay in the room with him.

"But I want to stay and make sure Brother is all right!" I heard the familiar voice of the little girl cry.

I turned around and squatted down to her height. "Your brother's going to be alright, Sweetheart," I said switching back to my "everything's-going-to-be-alright" voice.

"How do you know?" she asked as she started to cry again.

I was well aware that the healer was listening. "Because my friend here is going to fix him. He has a good heart, and people with good hearts never fail," I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Really?" she asked. The tears stopped falling and she looked at me with hope in her eyes.

"Mmhm," I said with a nod and a smile. "Now we need you to go into the other room with your parents. You need to be brave now alright. For your parents and your brother."

"Okay," she said and ran off. I then turned to the healer. "He has to fractures in his right arm, three cracked ribs on the left, and two broken ones on his right which must have punctured his lung."

"I know," he said calmly.

"Then why do you need me here?"

"For what will happen after I'm done healing him." I had no idea what he meant by that, but I walked over and stood beside him as he healed the boy.

My necklace started to burn me when he started using magic. It always did when magic was being used. That's how I could tell if people were mages or not. My necklace alerted me to it by sending a surge of spirit energy into my body that only I could feel.

The healing didn't take very long, but it took a lot of mana and energy from the healer. That's when I understood what he meant._ "He needs someone to keep him standing when he's done. I wish I could help and keep him from using all his reserves of mana."_ The healer started to move his hands in faster positions, which I assumed meant he was almost done. Then he brought his hand to the boy's chest and lifted up sending both blue and green light into him, and then the room darkened. No longer was it illuminated with magic.

I quickly grabbed the healer's arm and held him up. He looked startled for a moment, as if he wasn't expecting me to be so strong. He was breathing heavily and I moved his arm to my shoulder so that he could rest on me. After awhile he took his arm off of my shoulder and stood on his own.

He looked at me and gave a nod, "Thanks," he said.

"You saved his life, not me," I said calmly

"That's not what I..." his voice trailed off as I looked at him and smiled.

"I know. And don't mention it," I said still smiling, then I switched to my sarcastic serious tone. "Seriously don't. I have a reputation I don't want ruined."

He chuckled lightly at that, but didn't smile._ "Is it odd that I find myself wanting to make him smile?"_

When we walked into the main room, we were greeted by hugs and thanks. The little girl was the last to hug me, and she gave me a big bear hug. As she was doing this, the healer and the girls parents went to the far side of the room and started talking. The little girl put her hand in mine and squeezed it.

"Thank you," she said sweetly.

I squatted down to her level and looked her in the eyes. "Don't thank me Sweetie. I wasn't the one that saved your brother."

"But you went and got help, and you helped before the healer got here too!" she said stubbornly, still in her sweet voice.

I placed my free hand on her shoulder because she still had a hold on the other one. "No," I said shaking my head. "You went and got help remember? You ran all the way to Lirene's to help your brother. I just merely carried your voice."

The little girl didn't seem to know what to say to that, she wasn't aware that her parents and the healer were now listening intently to what we were saying. "Are you a hero?" she asked suddenly. This question startled me. Once was I called hero, but that title never did apply and still doesn't. "Father told me he recognized you from Ostagar, that you fought beside the King. He even said that the King called you a hero."

I paused for a moment before answering. "No," I said, "the real heroes are the ones that didn't make it back from Ostagar."

"Oh," she said disappointed that she hadn't met a hero.

As I tried to leave the people wanted to pay me, to pay us, but both the healer and I declined. When we got outside I took a deep breath in and exhaled loudly as I stretched.

"You sound like you've had a long day," the healer said.

"These days seem to go by so much slower than they did in Ferelden," I said still stretching.

"Glad that I'm not the only one that noticed!" he said with a slight laugh. I smiled._ "He's so charming."_

We were silent for a moment as we walked out of the shanties and onto Lowtown's streets.

"You know I've never met a woman as strong as you before." He said, breaking the silence.

"Technically you still haven't," I said charmingly, "seeing as we haven't introduced ourselves."

"Your right," he said with another laugh.

I smiled at him. "My name's Luna," I said, "Luna Hawke."

The healer walked in front of me and bowed, causing me to laugh, as he said, "A pleasure to meet you Luna. My name is Anders"


	12. Chapter 12: Pouncing on a Favor

**Chapter 12**

Anders and I continued walking towards the Lowtown market._ "Should I ask him now? I'll probably sound like a complete selfish bitch if I do though."_ Thankfully Anders broke the silence.

"Did you really fight at Ostagar?"

"Yeah," I said._ "I really don't like talking about Ostagar. Too many memories I'd rather keep buried."_

"And you fought beside the King," he asked. He was avoiding all the personal questions, I could tell.

"Yup. I fought beside Cailan and the Grey Wardens," I paused for a moment. "I heard a rumor that you were once a Grey Warden. Is it true?"

"Why?" he asked getting angry, "did they say that they would pay you for bringing me back?" he ignored the question he just asked and continued on. "Well I'm not going back. Those bastards made me get rid of my cat! Poor Ser Pounce-A-Lot, he and I always hated the Deep Roads."

I thought about pointing out that I wasn't trying to get him back to the Wardens, but I decided against it. "You had a cat, named Ser Pounce-A-Lot, in the Deep Roads?" I asked in wonder.

"He was a gift from the Hero of Ferelden, who was the Commander of the Grey at the time. He almost got torn in half by a genlock once. He swatted the buggar on the nose. Drew blood too!" He paused for a moment. "The blighted Wardens said he made me too 'soft' so I had to give him to a friend in Amaranthine."

"The only Wardens I knew were the ones that died at Ostagar, and two that somehow survived." I paused for a moment before continuing. We had stopped walking at the time and were almost in the market. "I didn't seek you out only to force you to go somewhere you don't want to be. I came looking for your help." He was looking at me now, and I was glad that the sun was in his eyes so that he couldn't see me slightly blush. "I'm planning an expedition into the Deep Roads and I was wondering if you'd know of any entrances near Kirkwall."

"I will die a happy man if I never have to think about the Deep Roads again." He then added more angrily, "You have no idea hard it was to get here, I'm not about to—" He paused for a moment and then placed his hand on his chin. "Although...a favor for a favor..." he thought out loud. " I have some Warden maps of the depths in this area and I would be willing to trade them for your help. How does that sound? You help me, I help you."

"That sounds reasonable, though I'm going to have to refuse anything that involves babysitting children or animals due to...some bad experiences in the past."

"What if I told you to bring me Knight-Commander Meredith's head on a pike?" he said, clearly joking.

"I'd probably ask you where you wanted me to put it afterwords." I said with a smile.

"You're truly are a woman after my own heart!" he said as he kind of smiled, and then he realized what he said. He bowed his head, blushing, as he placed one hand on the back of his head. "Uh...sorry..." he said quickly.

I shook my head, trying to get my hair to cover my own blush. I then looked at him and smiled. "So...this favor of yours?"

What little of a smile he had was instantly gone and the light in his eyes faded._ "I wish that moment would have lasted longer. Nobody's ever said things like that to me for a year. Well, and actually said it without just wanting to get in bed with me."_

"I didn't come here just to escape the Wardens," he said. "I came here hoping to help a friend. A mage." He looked up as if expecting me to yell at him or immediately say "no". But I didn't, I just folded my arms on top of one another. He took a breath, "He's a prisoner in the wretched Gallows and I intended to free him...but the templars must have intercepted some of our letters and are aware of my plans. Help me free him and get him away from the templars and you will have your maps."

"I'll help you Anders. Besides I always look for good excuses to kill a couple of templars and this sounds more like a good reason to me."

"Hopefully it won't have to come to that, but I can't say that I blame you for wanting to kill templars...and thank you for agreeing to help me." He said and then locked eyes with me. "Meet me outside the Chantry at midnight."

"As you wish."

* * *

><p>When I walked into the Hanged Man I spotted Garrett and Varric sitting at a table drinking. Garrett was trying to get this one girl who was interested in him to go away. Varric was laughing hysterically as Garrett failed to get her to go away.<em> "Slapping women is always fun, especially when they are drunk."<em> I strode up to where they were sitting.

The woman saw me before the others did. As she turned her head I gave her a good slap across the face, knocking her back and onto the floor.

"Get away from him you whore! He only has enough love for me!" I fell into the part of Garrett's girlfriend nicely. I was always a good actor, and an even better liar. Or so I was told anyway.

"I thought he was single!" she cried holding onto her check which was now turning bright red in the shape of a hand.

"Well you were wrong! Now you better get out of here before I beat the living shit out of you!" I drew myself up into my "I'm-going-to-fuck-you-up" stance which immediately got people to back off.

The woman quickly scrambled out of the Hanged Man, stumbling as she fled. I then grabbed a chair and pulled it up on the opposite side of Garrett and Varric.

"Thanks Luna," Garrett said, embarrassed that he had to have his little sister get rid of some whore for him.

"You certainly know how to lie, I'll give you that," said Varric with a chuckle.

"I thought it was called acting. Must have gotten those two mixed up again," I said with a short laugh.

"So did you get anything from the Grey Warden?" Garrett asked.

"No, he said that he'd give me some maps after I've helped him though," I motioned to the waitress and ordered a drink.

"Helped him with what?" Garrett asked suspiciously.

"He wants me to help..." the waitress had come back with my drink. I chugged it while she left and continued when I was sure she was gone and nobody was listening. "Help him get a friend of his out of the Gallows. He told his friend to meet him at the Chantry at midnight and he wants me to go with him and make sure they get away free."

"I'm helping," Garrett said firmly. "I won't turn down the chance to help a mage in need."

"Trying to be like Father again are we?"

"Shut up Luna!" I had hit a nerve. Dead family members were one of the places you shouldn't go with insults.

"I think I'll tag along too," said Varric. "It might be fun."

"Getting captured by templars is NOT fun," I said, "but killing them certainly is."

_"And I hope to the Maker that I'm never get captured by them again. Once was plenty for me!"_


	13. Chapter 13: Dark Tranquility

**Chapter 13**

It was really hard to not get drunk as we waited in the Hanged Man for midnight. I ended up having to watch Garrett and Varric like a...hawk...to make sure they didn't buy any more drinks.

"You're no fun Moonlight," said Varric testing out another new nickname he's come up for me.

"That one's not as bad as the others," I said with a turn of my head. "And if you get drunk how the hell will you manage to fight?"

"With skill," he said. "And I think it suits you. The nickname that is. Not only does you name literally mean "moon", but your eyes glow like its light, so...Moonlight it is."

"So long as you don't call me Moonshine it's alright," I said with a smile and laugh.

"Damn! She saw right through it." Varric then laughed after he had said that.

"Are you sure you two aren't drunk?" Garrett finally asked.

"If I was drunk, Hawke, you wouldn't have to ask," said Varric with a smile.

"And if I was drunk I'd be much, much happier than this." I then laughed, "I'm just a little tipsy that's all."

"We need to start heading for the Chantry," Garrett finally said with some authority.

I was about to say something smart assed, but stopped. Unfortunately I have to admit that Garrett was right. We really did need to head towards the Chantry now.

"And I thought Moonlight here was the stick-in-the-mud," grumbled Varric.

"As much of a downer he may be, he's right. We should get going," I said finally

"Did you just agree with me?" Garrett asked in surprise.

"Yes, and if you so much as even think about telling anyone I'll have to rip off your fingernails and soak your hands in vinegar," I said sounding serious with a smile on my face.

"It's probably just the alcohol talking anyways," he said.

"Probably," Varric said in agreement.

"Hey!"

* * *

><p>It was rough going, getting to the Chantry. We had run in to our third group of bandits, which was the largest thus far.<p>

"I am so glad I'm on your side Moonlight," Varric said as I decapitated the last bandit. "I think I'll just call you Luna. You name's already short enough so you don't need one.

"And the moral of this story is to not piss me off, or challenge me, or to give me ridiculous nicknames," I said with a smile. We then kept walking towards the Chantry. The Chantry's courtyard had just come into view.

"I thought I was the only story teller of the group," Varric said with a sarcastic sadness.

I just chuckled quietly at that and continued through the courtyard. We stayed to the shadows as we walked up the steps to the Chantry's entrance where we met up with Anders.

"This is my brother Garrett," I said indicating to him, "and my friend Varric."

He gave them a nod and said, "I saw Karl go in already. Are you ready?"

"We haven't seen anybody suspicious yet, let's make this quick," Garrett said. He was in front of me still and blocking my path a little so that I couldn't stand next to Anders. Why he did this puzzled me.

The Chantry was dark and quiet except for the light given off by some of the candles that were still burning. Garrett cast a spell and a tiny orb of light hovered about in front of us illuminating the place a little more.

"Don't worry," Garrett said, "we are the only ones that can see its light."

"When we find Karl...just...let me talk to him," Anders whispered.

"He's to the right," I said quietly.

"How do you..." Anders started to say puzzled that I knew where he was.

"Come on," Garrett said firmly and quietly.

We all walked to the right and up the stairs once we got out of the main corridor of the Chantry. I indicated to them that he was up ahead, but still to our right. After a couple of paces we saw Karl standing by a table in the makeshift room that the sisters and brothers sometimes use if they stay at the Chantry._ "Something's very wrong. He must have heard us but why didn't he turn around? Something bad is about to happen...or has already happened."_ The thought of Karl being made tranquil and then used to lure Anders out passed through my mind, but I kept it to myself even though I shouldn't have.

"Karl," Anders said with relief in his voice.

They all walked up to him, but I hung back at the wide entrance to the open chambers that Karl was in._ "If something going to happen, I'll be the first to know and the first to fight."_ I moved to one of the shadows cast by the dim light and quietly unsheathed my swords.

"Anders, I know you to well. I knew you would never give up," Karl spoke in a monotone still with his back to us, and my fears were proved to be what actually happened. Karl had been made tranquil._ "So, that's why my necklace almost didn't alert me to his presence and to where he is, because he was tranquil. Son of a fucking bitch! That means this is a trap! Shit!"_

"What's wrong? Why are you talking like ...?" Anders asked. He still hadn't figured out what happened. None of them had.

"I was too rebellious, like you. The templars knew I had to be...made an example of." Karl turned around and the brand on his forehead told the others that he was now tranquil. I gripped the hilts of my swords harder in anger._ "They have no right to do this! If he was a harrowed mage than making him tranquil goes against Chantry law!"_ My face twisted into a snarl and I breathed heavier, but still remained silent.

"No!" Anders said desperately, as if he were trying to undo what was already done. My heart went out to him._ "No person should have to see their friend become tranquil. It is almost certainly worse than watching them die."_

"How else will mages master themselves? You'll understand Anders, as soon as the templars teach you to control yourself," Karl said as he kept talking in that creepy monotone.

That's when I finally heard footsteps, and they were right behind me. I had been paying too much attention to what Karl had been saying that I didn't notice. An arm grabbed me around the waist and brought a blade to my throat, but he didn't realize my weapons were already out.

"This is the apostate," Karl finally said, and with that I ran my sword through the templar who had a hold of me's stomach then quickly turned around and slit him in the throat.

"Templars!" I yelled as I removed my sword from the now dead templar's body.

"NO!" I hear Anders cry, but I didn't turn around. I was facing the oncoming templars that were now coming towards us.

Then my necklace started burning fiercely as something of incredible magic ability unleashed the full extent of its powers. My necklace kept on burning and I was tempted to use its power to remove all mana from the room, but then Anders and Garrett wouldn't be able to fight or defend themselves.

"YOU WILL NEVER TAKE ANOTHER MAGE AS YOU TOOK HIM!" yelled a voice that didn't sound human, my necklace burned even more as that thing talked. I quickly glanced over my shoulder and gasped._ "It wasn't a thing. It was Anders!"_ His eyes were glowing blue, and cracks of blue light covered his body._ "What the hell kind of magic is that! I just hope it's on our side."_

"Garrett, Varric, take care of the archers! I've got dibs on the lieutenant!" I said and ran towards that templar lieutenant, with something else to fuel my hatred for them.

* * *

><p>The fight didn't carry out long. Templars were only good against mages, and not an excellent fight like me. When the fighting was done I searched the templar lieutenant to see if he had anything on him. He had ten sovereigns and a letter signed by a "Ser Alrich."<p>

I walked over to where everyone was standing next to Karl. Anders had stopped glowing now, although I still remained guarded even when just standing next to him.

"I...Anders what did you do?" Karl said, confused and no longer talking in a monotone._ "Hold on a minute, tranquil are cut off from the Fade forever. They can't get confused."_ I sheathed my swords; I knew Anders wasn't a threat. He was two kindhearted to turn against someone who helped him. I just simply folded my arms and looked at Karl. "It's like...you...brought a piece of the Fade into this world. I had already forgotten what it feels like," Karl said still confused and still not acting like a normal tranquil.

"Tranquil are cut off from the Fade forever though. And that separation it was causes them to be...emotionless, yet you are confused. How is that possible?" I said tapping into my knowledge of mages and tranquility I learned from a friend who was quite...informed about both.

"When you're tranquil you never think on your life before," Karl said. "But, it's like the Fade itself is inside Anders. Burning like a sun." He paused for a moment, and then a look of horror spread across his face. "Please, kill me before I forget again! I don't know what you did but its fading."

"Karl no," Anders said, looking so sad. He didn't want to lose his friend and I didn't blame him.

"My brother, sister, and father all used to tell me about how tranquility is a worse fate then death," I said calmly and sympathetically. "Please, help him...or allow me to." I knew that if he agreed to let me kill his friend that he would blame and possibly hate me for it for the rest of his life, but it was worth it so long as he didn't feel responsible for it.

He closed his eyes for a minute then looked at me with his big, gorgeous, brown eyes and shook his head no. This was something he was going to have to do. "Karl, I'm sorry," he said at last.

"Now! Its fading!" there was a pause in everything about Karl for not even a second. That's when Anders walked up to him, now brandishing the knife he unsheathed from his belt. "Why do you look at me like that?" Karl asked.

Anders had a distraught look on his face, "I got here too late. I'm sorry Karl. I'm so sorry," he repeated, and then stabbed his friend in the stomach. Karl made a soft gurgle as the knife slid into his body before falling on the ground in a pool of his own blood.

Anders turned around and started walking not even looking back. "We should leave before more templars come," he said in a monotone much like Karl's. His state of tranquility was caused by sorrow though. The sorrow that comes when you lose someone you love and never thought you would see die.

_"Templars are like darkspawn. They only destroy what they touch! You can at least kill darkspawn though, while the templars hide behind their precious Chantry...Poor Anders. He already looks like he's lost so much more than the rest of us. Hopefully he won't try to go through this pain alone."_


	14. Chapter 14: Spirits Within

**Chapter 14**

When we walked back to Darktown Garrett, Varric and I followed Anders, but we hung back a little to give him some space. We walked quietly and none of us spoke. We all felt bad for what had happened in the Chantry.

"Let me talk to him," I quietly whispered to Garrett.

"Why? Because you fancy him?" Garrett whispered back._ "Ah so that's why he tried to keep me from standing next to Anders. He doesn't want me to be happy with someone."_

"No," I hissed showing him that I didn't like his last comment, "because I have had to do something similar to a couple of my brothers at Ostagar when they got infected with the darkspawn taint. Because I understand what he's going through and what it's like."

We had stopped so that Anders wouldn't hear what we were saying. I don't even think he was aware that we had even been following him. He was so out of it because of his sorrow for Karl.

Garrett was hesitating; he still thought that I only wanted to be with Anders._ "Selfish bastard. Can't he see that I want to help?"_

"Fine," he eventually said, "but don't forget we promised to help Aveline tomorrow. And you better get an explanation for what the hell happened to him back at the Chantry."

"Unlike you I don't forget things that are important." Garrett fixed me with a cold stare after I had said that. I didn't care though, Garrett was always doing things to try to piss me off, but I had unfortunately gotten used to it and it didn't work anymore.

I lightly jogged to catch up to Anders, but I still hung back a little._ "That's one thing I learned from Ostagar. If somebody lost a buddy or a loved one you gave them a little space and assigned them tasks that involved killing things. That's one of the things I miss about the army. Everyone was looking out for each other."_

When we got back to his...clinic I guess you would call it, Anders turned around and was genuinely surprised to see that I had followed him here. Then the surprise faded as something fit together in his head.

"Ah," he said, "the maps. Sorry I had...forgotten about them for a moment." He looked so sad; it killed my heart to see so much of his sadness in his eyes.

"I didn't follow you because I wanted the maps," I said calmly trying to sound nice, sympathetic, and understanding. "I know what it's like to...to have to do something like that...and for what it's worth, I'm sorry for what happened. I'm sorry I couldn't save your friend. Which probably doesn't mean much...or even make much of a difference but..." I looked down. The sadness in his eyes was overwhelming. I found it nearly impossible to meet his gaze, but I eventually did.

"Thank you, Luna" Anders said quietly, so quiet I almost didn't hear him. "You have a good heart and...you truly are a hero as they say."

I wanted to ask who was "they" but didn't. Anders walked away for a minute and rummaged through some of his packs. When he came back he had a couple of pieces of large paper in his hand. He set them on one of the tables and laid them out to make sure it was the right one.

I knew now wasn't the best time to ask, but Garrett had practically threatened me into asking Anders about what happened and I have to admit I was curious too. "Anders," I started. He looked up and I could tell he knew what was coming next. "What happened to you in the Chantry? That magic you used, it didn't," I almost said "feel" but I managed to stop myself. The friend who gave me my necklace told me not to let anyone know about its power, "It didn't look like normal magic. What was it?"

"I...this is hard to explain," he started. That was a bit of an understatement.

What Anders told me was something you might hear out of a fairytale. Anders told me that while he was in Amaranthine he met a spirit of Justice, and that he had agreed to let Justice in and to be a host to him rather than have him play a demon and haunt some corpse. He told me about their plan to bring justice to every mage that had been forced into the circle. And then he told me about how his anger towards the templars, Chantry, and the circles changed his friend. How it had turned Justice into Vengeance even though Justice thought he could overcome it, and that he no longer knew mercy and how he comes out whenever templars and things that always outraged him, but could never do anything about, are or happen around him.

I took this all in calmly and made sure that I didn't show any emotion's on my face, so as to not make him feel worse than he already did. He looked at me questioningly with his big, brown eyes. He was wondering what I thought of all this, and he might have been frustrated that he couldn't read it on my face.

I let out a loud, heavy sigh and crossed arms and looked right into his eyes. "That's not what you are," I said firmly. He looked at me confused.

"What?"

"You are not an abomination," I said. I couldn't tell what he was thinking when after I had said that, he probably didn't believe me._ "If I was in his position, I wouldn't either."_ I kept my eyes locked with his. "Abominations don't heal people, they don't help others. Abominations only destroy," I waved my hand in circular motion, "pretty much everything, which you don't do. You are not an abomination. Also, since you still have your humanity you can't be an abomination. Templars define abominations as monsters born from mages that no longer are human or have any human characteristics," I paused for a moment letting what I said sink in. "That doesn't describe you."

He looked away from me. He didn't believe me I could tell, but what I said gave him something to think on. What I said was true, and he knew it, but he still that he was an abomination.

We just stood there silent for a moment, not saying anything. I was tempted to say more, but I had a feeling that just being there was enough at the moment and that he really just needed someone at that time to stand by him.

"Thank you," Anders finally said. "You're the first person I've ever told this to. Thank you for not running." He grabbed up the pieces of paper and rolled them up. He then handed them to me, "My maps are yours, as am I if you need help with your expedition, or anything else. I thought I was done with the Wardens, but perhaps the...skills I picked up from them can aid you."

When I grabbed the maps I placed my fingers on top of his. It was a gesture of affection and understanding on my part. "If you ever need to talk, I'll be here for you Anders," I said with a slight smile to show that I meant it.

He let go of the maps. "Thank you," he said quietly.

I gave him a nod and was about to leave before I remembered that Garrett was going to ask me a lot of questions about Anders.

"The only reason I asked about the Chantry, Anders, was because my brother practically threatened me into doing it," I started. "When I get back, Varric and him are probably going to ask a lot of questions. I can play stupid and not know what they are talking about if you'd like. They do have a right to know, but I'll only tell them when you want me to."

"Thank you again," he said, "your kindness truly knows no bounds. You can tell them whenever you feel like it. Like you said, they have a right to know...and right now I don't really care."

I nodded again, turned around and headed to the doors. When I reached them I stopped and looked over my shoulder at Anders. "For what it's worth, you did the right thing. Don't you ever doubt that." I don't know if he even paid attention. He probably didn't know for which of his actions I meant, but after I had said that I walked out the door and I felt his eyes on me as I made may way to the Lowtown entrance, and ultimately the Hanged Man where I knew Varric would be.

_"I really don't want to have to explain this to my brother first. Something tells me that he wouldn't understand."_


	15. Chapter 15: Those That Have Loved

**Chapter 15**

It was really late by the time I got back from the Hanged Man. I had talked to Varric about what happened to Anders at the Chantry and had two drinks while I was there. Surprisingly Varric didn't seem to care much about the whole Fade spirit thing. All he was worried about was that Anders might have an advantage if he ever decided to challenge him to a drinking game._ "The last thing we need to worry about is losing at drinking games to him. We should worry about the templars and what might happen if they find him."_

When I got "home" I opened the door quickly so that it didn't creak as much as it would if opened slowly. Once inside I quietly snuck to the room Garrett and I shared, avoiding all the floorboards that made a sound if even so much as a bug landed on them. From there I switched into my baggy pants and loose, comfy shirt and crawled into what Gamlen tried to pass as a bed.

I didn't realized how tired I truly was until my head rested on my "pillow". My eyelids felt heavy instantly and I already felt myself dosing._ "I had a long day. Rest would be very welcome right now, hopefully my memories won't haunt me tonight and I will get that rest."_

That night my memories didn't leave me alone. I found myself in one of the places I had hoped to never relive again, but it doesn't seem to want me to let go. Everywhere in that place was the steady, constant drip of water that calls to the insane and begs them to come back again.

* * *

><p>When I woke up the next morning I found myself alone. Gamlen was gone (probably at the brothel) as was Mother who never talks about where she goes. On the desk I found a note from Garrett:<br>"I couldn't wake you up this morning to go and help Aveline so I came up with a good excuse and brought Ruin along as well. You don't exercise that dog enough. I am also going to ask Varric to come along as well. I don't expect you to help with clearing the estate of slavers so don't feel obliged to stick around and hlep.  
>-Garrett"<p>

_"How nice of him to think of me, though this probably means that he won't kill the Flint Company Mercenaries. I guess I can deal with that today, though it would be stupid of me to take them on all on my own. Perhaps Anders can help."_ I really didn't want to as Anders for help because of everything that happened last night, but I couldn't come up with any better options._ "I hope he doesn't mind."_

I left a note on the desk as well saying that I was going to go kill some mercenaries that had outlived their lifespan and walked out of the hovel. Varric had been right when he told me that I would get used to the brightness of the light in Kirkwall. That's when I noticed that the light reflected off of the stone that covered Kirkwall which made the light seem so much more intense than it did in Ferelden._ "That answers the question as to why the Kirkwallers think us Fereldans are blind. It's because we squint outside because the light here is brighter."_

It was a slow walk to Darktown and an uneventful one, which is a good thing. When I walked up the final set of stairs before I got to Anders' clinic I noticed that Darktown was actually almost quiet for once. It was strange because usually you could hear a couple of people being murdered in a dark corner or something._ "Today must be their off day or something then."_

When I entered Anders' clinic there wasn't anyone in there except for him. Anders had his back to me and was working on something, I couldn't tell what from this angle. I thought about calling his name, but decided against it. Instead I simply knocked on the wooden frame of the door he had left open for refugees in need of aid.

Anders spun around when he heard the knock and grabbed his staff. When he saw it was me he returned his staff and sighed in relief.

"It's just you," he said calmly, "I knew it wasn't a refugee because of the fact that they come in here in a panic of some sort."

"If you want I can leave and come back screaming hysterically," I said with a small smile.

Anders let out a short laugh and held up his hand as if signaling me to stop, "No, no I get plenty of that thank you very much, and I don't need anymore."

"You sure?" I asked teasingly, "I heard from an old friend of mine that women in hysterics look much sexier than normal, and that they give a better performance." I finished in a smile, and got some light to return to Anders eyes.

"Whoever told you that is a liar," Anders said with a smirk, "I know from experience that his statement isn't true."

I giggled at that, "I'll have to remember that for when I have a panic attack near someone I like. He might not be inclined to sleep with me if I'm panicking."

More light came back to Anders eyes as he almost smiled. "I got a bit weighty that last time we talked after what had happened at the Chantry about Karl and Justice," he said, his almost smile slowly fading. "Sorry for putting all that on you."

I was about to say something witty in response, but instead I asked, "Karl was special to you, wasn't he?"

Anders crossed his arms and looked at the ground. "Yes. Karl was my lover back at the Ferelden Circle of Magi. We had both agreed to...go our separate ways after my sixth escape attempt so that the templars didn't suspect him of helping me."

I let what he said hang in the air a moment before saying, "I am...truly sorry then. I know what it is like to lose someone you love."

Anders looked up at me after that was said. "You too?"

"Yeah," I said. "He died saving my life at Ostagar." I paused for a moment, not knowing what to say. Then I decided know was the time to stop acting all sentimental and kind. "You know, I don't get it."

"Get what?" Anders asked confused.

"I don't get why people are always telling me their deep, dark secrets. I guess I must look trustworthy or something."

The mood in the room changed in those few sentences. My love always said I had a gift for changing sorrow into happiness, fear into hope, and anger into understanding as well as other things. I just thought I got lucky. But Anders' mood brightened a little, and that's all that mattered to me at the moment.

"You look...something," he said. "True. Proud. Like even if you don't agree with me...you'll at least be honest." He paused for a moment. "I just thought that with Karl, and especially with Justice, that I was doing the right thing, but that isn't the case. Nothing turned out like I expected it to be. Maybe all of it was a big mistake."

I thought for a moment before replying, "We can never predict the outcome of our actions, Anders. All we can do is make them with a true heart."

A smirk appeared on Anders face as he said, "Kind, wise, and beautiful. You must have made a deal with some demons yourself."

A felt a blush appear on my cheeks as he said that and I nervously looked to the left, trying to hid my face behind my hair and hoping that he didn't notice the blush too much.

"I'm...uh...sorry. I shouldn't presume. We've hardly met and I feel like I already know you." He then glanced in my direction and I finally looked at him, hoping that my blush was gone. "Am I making you feel uncomfortable?"

I felt my blush return stronger than ever as I said "Doesn't mean I want you to stop."

Anders' smirk, that I was starting to fall in love with and was starting make my heart beat faster and melt, came back again. "I'll have to keep that in mind then." It suddenly faded then. The light in his eyes and the smirk on his face. It was all just gone. He turned to the right and shook his head as he walked over to a makeshift bed for patients and sat on it.

"No," he said, "I shouldn't be doing this. I'm not a good man to get involved. I'll hurt you."

I was confused. One moment he was flirting with me and the next he was telling me that he and I shouldn't have done it. None of it made sense.

"Why would you hurt me?"

"A year ago, maybe we could have had something, but that's all changed now. I'll break your heart. And that might kill me as surely as the templars." After he had said that he closed his eyes and hung his head in silence.

"Hmmmm." I was thinking about what he said. Not many men would say things like that if they knew that's what they would do. It just proved even more that Anders is kinder man than most. I crossed my arms and looked down at my boots, letting the silence drag on a little bit more before I said anything else. "Anders, I need your help."

He looked up at me and our eyes met for an instant before he stood up and walked over to me. "With what?"

"Killing mercenaries that murdered the prince of Starkhaven's family." I replied shortly.

"Where do you find a job like that?" Anders asked with a half laugh.

"The Chanter's board apparently," I said with a small smile. Anders laughed again before I continued on. "Prince Sebastian Vael posted it."

"Alright then, I'll help. But only because it's not every day I get to help a prince."

"Thank you Anders."


	16. Chapter 16: For a Prince

**Chapter 16**

"Remind me again why I agreed to go all the way to the Wounded Coast and Sundermount with you." Anders said as we made our way to the coast.

"Because I asked you nicely?" I said with a slight smile.

"From the way your brother talks about you I would never have guessed that." I stopped and looked at him after he had said that._ "When did he talk to my brother?"_ Anders must have figured out why I looked confused. "Ah, right, I forgot to mention that your brother gave me a pleasant visit this morning."

"You clearly need to learn more about my brother if you thought it was a "pleasant" visit. Nothing about him is pleasant." I said bitterly, just thinking about Garrett was making me sour.

"Dear lady, you need to learn about sarcasm then if you thought I was being serious," Anders said with a smirk, "And I have to agree with you on that. Your brother isn't very pleasant person to be around and he isn't even very pleasant looking. How he still isn't a virgin is beyond me." I laughed after he had said that and continued walking towards the Wounded Coast.

"You obviously haven't been to Lothering. None of the women there looked even remotely good so a few of them were willing to lower their expectations and sleep with him. The only beautiful woman there was Sister Leliana, but her vows made her...unobtainable. Which was a shame. She was very beautiful."

"I find it hard to believe that all the women in Lothering didn't look good. After all, you came from there." Anders said, making my blush come out. "So...men and women?"

"I wasn't born in Lothering, and neither was Leliana so that would probably explain it. She was Orlesian, I think. And yes. Well, if they catch my fancy I guess." I said with my blush burning my cheeks. Anders let out a small chuckle and I smiled and giggled. "I'm rambling aren't I?" _"Maker, I'm behaving like some star struck idiot!"_

"Just a little." He chuckled again. "So if you weren't born in Lothering where were you born?"

"I believe it was Amaranthine." I said before a paused a little. "I can't remember though. We had to leave when I was three because the templars were getting suspicious of us."

"Because of your brother?"

"Because of my Father, brother, and sister." My voice was getting bitter again and I think maybe Anders picked up on it because he didn't pursue that topic.

"You've had to move around a lot?" He asked calmly.

I let out a short laugh. "You have no idea." I smiled as we got to the top of the hill we had been climbing for some time, "Thank the Maker! I never thought we would get here!" We had finally reached the Wounded Coast.

"About time," Anders said. "Now where are those mercenaries supposed to be?"

"They're to the left."

"Gottcha," said Anders. "So, when I mentioned talking to your brother I thought I should tell you he was really pissed off with you for having Varric tell him, and for telling Varric first, about me."

I laughed a little. "When isn't he pissed off at me? Anyway we can talk about this on our way to Sundermount."

Anders nodded in reply as we took the left path. The Wounded Coast certainly was the ugliest coast I had ever seen. The shore was littered in shipwrecked boats and jagged rocks that looked like chipped teeth.

The Flint Company Mercenaries weren't that hard to find. They had fires going and they didn't try to hide their tracks._ "These guys clearly don't know how to lay low."_ None of them were expecting an attack; they probably just thought they'd wait it out until Sebastian realized that killing them actually involved work. They never thought he was going to hire a professional killer.

"Stay out of the main fighting and try not to hit me please," I whispered to Anders as we hid just around the bend of the mercenaries' camp.

"I'll do my best, but no promises," he said with a smirk.

I let out a short laugh in response. "Here we go."

There were twenty of them. As I charged them I saw a fireball catch five of them on fire. The first three I encountered where archers and they were easy to kill. I stabbed one in the stomach, slit one's throat, and decapitated the last one. Then one of them came at me with a battle axe. He swung at me from an angle, catching one of my swords and wrenching it from hand, sending it flying off to my left somewhere.

He raised his axe above his head and brought it down towards me, but I was too quick for him. Just as he started to bring it down I ran up to him and put my back against his front, and in one fluid motion I severed his right arm off, grabbed his axe, and using the momentum of it I spun around and brought it into his stomach, where it was firmly stuck.

As I was done killing the guy with a battle axe, someone grabbed me from behind and held my arms firmly behind my back. I kicked and tried to free myself but couldn't. Then another guy, or should I say girl, came at me with a knife. As she got closer I triggered the mechanism in my boot that released a knife hidden in the toe and kicked her in the throat. She went down like a ton of bricks, and as I the knife went back into my boot's toe, I smashed the back of my head into the guy who was holding me's face which caused him to loosen his grip on me. I yanked my arms free and shoved him backwards, where I heard him get electrocuted by Anders' spells.

After that, I ran and retrieved my other sword. And as I turned around a saw someone behind me about to slice me open with his sword, but Anders intervened and froze him solid. I just kicked him over and he shattered into tiny pieces as I heard Anders cast another fireball which incinerated six mercenaries instead of five this time.

"I'll kill the last two," I called to Anders signaling him to stop casting spells.

As I ran towards them, one of them pulled out a knife and slashed at my head. I just barely backed out of the way in time and he ended up cutting some of my hair off._ "Bitch! You did not just do that!"_ I slit the guy who had cut my hair's throat, and brought my sword up through the others chin.

Anders walked over as I examined my hair. "That bastard! He cut my hair! Oh I wish I could kill him again. My hair probably looks terrible now."

"Let me see," Anders said.

I turned around and he examined my hair. He brought the shorter piece of hair, which was towards the front, across my face and pulled out his knife.

"May I?" he asked.

"As long as you don't make it worse," I said with a smile.

Anders just smirked and cut off some more of my hair. Once he was done. He tousled my hair so that it fell on my face. All of it was uneven and some of the longer pieces came past my nose. I blew some of it out of my eyes so that I could see, but most of it was still on my face.

"There, that's much better," Anders said with a smirk.

"I certainly hope so for your sake," I smiled. I had never seen myself having bangs, and I hope it did look better than before.

Anders' smirk turned into something that was almost a smile. "Don't worry," he said, "women with long, uneven bangs are always sexy." I don't know if that was aimed to be a compliment for me or not, but I still blushed.

"I guess I'm going to take your word on that." I said with a smile. "Well, at least until we get back from Sundermount that is."

"Did I already complain about us having to go there?"

"Yes. Numerous times in fact." I said smiling.

"Something tells me you're going to hurt me if I start complaining about it again." Anders said laughing.

I laughed too, "Damn straight I will."

Anders was still laughing a bit when he said "Good to know."

We headed in the direction of Sundermount, with any luck we would be there and back before the sun even looked like it would be setting._ "My luck has been improving since I came to Kirkwall, especially since I no longer have to spend all my time chasing Garrett or Marian anymore."_


	17. Chapter 17: Flowers,Barley,Understanding

**Chapter 17**

After killing the first group of the Flint Company Mercenaries, Anders and I continued on our way to Sundermount. _"Thank the Maker that the Wounded Coast isn't ridiculously far away from Sundermount like it is from Kirkwall."_

There was a nice breeze blowing from the east that carried the scent of pine and sea salt. It felt and smelled nice, but something was missing from it. Ferelden had a particular scent in its wind that I couldn't place. _"Damn it! Why can't I remember what it is?"_

"You know, one thing I never thought I'd miss is the smell of wild flowers in the breeze," Anders said eventually.

"That's it!"I exclaimed, and then laughed. "I was trying to figure out what was missing. The wild flowers, how could I forget those? I used to go out and pick them every day." I paused a moment when I realized what I had said. "I said that last part out loud didn't I?"

"Yup. Don't worry though, I won't tell your brother," Anders said politely. "Which were your favorites?"

"The white and yellow lilies. And thanks," I said. "The last thing I want is my brother thinking I actually have a heart." I laughed lightly and smiled, turning my head in the direction the wind was coming from. I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes. If I concentrated hard enough I could remember the smell of the wild flowers and enjoy it once more.

I don't know how long I stood there, enjoying the wind and the smells. I was so lost in the bliss of it all that I forgot everything that was around me and what we were doing. I was...just remembering. I was remembering the things I missed in Ferelden.

I missed the smells and sounds more than I thought I would. There weren't as many birds in Kirkwall as Ferelden, so it was much quieter here and the air wasn't filled with the birds' sweet music as they sang to one another in beautiful melodies. Also, as Anders pointed out, there weren't as many flowers or Elfroot which made it not as colorful here or as wonderful smelling with all the various plants' scents mingling together to create a exotic, lovely fragrance that hung everywhere in the air.

One thing I missed the most was lying with my love in the barley fields. It would be spring and the barley would ripple with the wind, making it look like we were swimming in an ocean of gold. The air would have the lovely fragrance of the flowers mixed with the smell of the barley as the birds sing above us with their soft, sweet melodies of love while they looked for their mates. All the while the insects would be buzzing this time of year, adding a soft hum to the music of the birds. The brilliant sun would be setting in the east, casting its yellow, orange, and red light to dance upon clouds where they would become all sorts of combinations of colors and shades. My head would be laying on his chest along with my left hand, which would be held firmly, gently, and lovingly in his right. He would probably be stroking my hair, or perhaps he would be whispering to me softly about how much he loved me and about how if I died tha he would slay the Maker Himself to bring me back to him again. Maybe he would tell me about how I was his only world and that he wouldn't let any harm come to me, that he would protect me till the very end. Or perhaps he would tell me how beautiful I was and that I would shame Andraste Herself with my beauty. _"I miss him so much. Why did he have to leave me? Why did he have t o die at Ostagar?"_

A gentle, warm hand stirred me from my thoughts, from my memories. I opened my eyes and saw Anders in front of me now, looking at me with concern and worry in his lovely, brown eyes.

"You're crying," he said gently and quietly. There was no judgment in his voice as I expected with a statement like that, but he was just pointing it something out and being concerned about me.

I brought my hand to my eyes and felt the dampness of the salty tears that had stained my cheeks and were still rolling down them. I had never cried in front of anyone except for my love and that was a long time ago. I realized that Anders was still watching me.

I laughed nervously, forced a smile and went to wiping my eyes. Anders removed his hand from my shoulder as I said "Indeed I am." I started to walking towards Sundermount again, "Quickly, distract me so I can stop please."

Anders didn't say anything for a moment. I hastily kept trying to wipe my tears from my eyes and cheeks, but my eyes defiantly brought more of them to replace the ones that were gone.

"So, your father was a mage?" Anders finally said, choosing a topic I didn't like but was willing to talk about if it stopped me from crying.

"Yeah," I eventually replied. My tears weren't coming as fast as they were. This topic was souring my mood and causing me to slowly stop crying. _"Maybe that's why Anders picked it. Because he knew it would help."_

"As were your brother and sister too?"

Yeah, and before you ask, no I'm not a mage as well." I replied flatly, but smiled at the end as I rubbed the last of my tears off my face and I was relived to feel that no more were coming. Anders must have guessed that I was doing a little better and switched back to his charming, sarcastic self of his instead of the kind and caring one he had been using when I was crying.

"Really? I hadn't noticed. You should have told me sooner," he said sarcastically with that damned, charming smirk of his.

"_My love once told me that if something happened to him, and if someone else made me happy like he did, that it would be alright for me to be with that person...if my love was truly dead. But is this too soon?"_

I smiled, "Sorry, it completely slipped my mind." I giggled, which didn't show him how conflicted I really was. "You should know that I'm fluent in sarcasm." My smile broadened and my mood brightened even more, despite the topic we were on. "Was there anything else you were going to ask?"

"No," he said," I was just providing a distraction for you and observing that the Mage Trait doesn't pass on to all siblings."

"Ooohh," I said jokingly, "That sounded like it started with capital letters."

He chuckled this time and his lips parted into something that resembled a smile that unfortunately faded slowly as we walked on. This is how it was for a while, just him and I walking quietly next to one another. _"He's so much taller than I, but he's still a few inches shorter than my love."_

"Did you ever want to be a mage?" Anders asked out of the blue. _"I knew this question was going to be asked soon."_

I let out a huff that could be passed as a short laugh, but it was really just something I did to hide my anger. "I thought you said you had no more questions."

"Oops," he replied flatly.

I thought about it for a moment then sighed before answering. "Yeah, more than anything. I thought that maybe if I was a mage that Mother and Father might actually pay attention to me...love me, and that maybe my brother and sister would finally respect me and treat me like one of the family." I let out another sigh that was longer and more heavily than the last and noticed that Anders had gone back to being kind and caring out of the corner of my eye. "But such fantasies ended when I was thirteen," I continued, "and I realized that they would never welcome me, love me, or even respect me because I was the youngest of three when my parents only wanted two." I let out a short laugh, "Besides I'd probably be blamed for more than what I already was and am."

"And what were you blamed for?" Anders asked, trying to hide his concern, but I could see it in his beautiful, brown eyes.

"Back then: for drawing too much attention when I excelled at something, whether it was speed, archery, strength, endurance or sword fighting. Now:" I said with a slight pause, "I'm blamed for my older sister, Marian's death.

"By who?" he asked, still concerned.

"By my mother, and brother...and myself I guess. And before you start the whole "it wasn't your fault" bullshit, you should hear me out." With that I told him my account of how we escaped Lothering. He didn't say anything, just listened quietly to how fucked up my life really is. I didn't tell him how I got to Lothering, just how I got from Lothering to here. I haven't talked about Ostagar to anyone, not even Aveline.

"You wanted to die?" he asked, shocked that I could even think such a thing.

"Yeah..."I saw a frown spread across his face, "You don't understand, I lost EVERYTHING at Ostagar! I lost the man I loved there, all my comrades and brothers I had gained while I was in the army! The ones that I shed blood with and put my life on the line for as they did the same for me! And the darkspawn ripped them all away from me in one night...I could no longer come up with a reason to live...I didn't understand why I lived but they didn't and I thought that I should have died with them...at the King's side and the Grey Wardens' sides." I was yelling then. I wasn't angry at him, I was angry at this whole fucked up world I was a part of. I was mad at myself, and Anders didn't deserve to have it aimed towards him, but he asked and I answered and did my best to explain and he was the only one there. I didn't want to be angry at him...I was just...just frustrated with myself. _"I let them all down, even if they would never admit it!"_

"You wrong Luna," Anders said calmly focusing straight ahead at the trail that was leading us to Sundermount. "I do understand." This felt like a kick to the stomach. Here was I, doing all this complaining when he was an apostate mage who had escaped from the Fereldan Circle of Magi and who had lost his lover not even a full day ago. I felt stupid and guilty for what I had said.

"I'm...I'm sorry...I didn't mean...I was just..." I stuttered. I couldn't figure out what to say. I didn't know if there was anything to say that would fix this mess I just made.

"I know Luna, what I experienced might have been a little different from you, but it was enough for me to understand," Anders said and looked at me with...a...smile. He was actually smiling and his smile was beautiful, kind, and warm. His smile made my heart melt, and I no longer was angry or sad. I was just at peace now. "What was his name? You're lover's that is."

"He was my fiancé, and his name was Zach Zaroff. He's the type of man that would put every Kirkwaller to shame with his heroism, kindness, strength, and—" Anders suddenly cut into what I was about to say.

"His dashing, good looks?" Anders replaced his smile with his to die for smirk.

I just smiled and laughed. "Oh, but of course. You just never let me finish."

We continued walking towards Sundermount as the sun slowly passed over our heads and started to look like it was heading for the west a little. We still had the better part of the day left, and the third group of mercenaries didn't come out until night, and that was at the docks, so we had plenty of time. _"At least the return trip will be mostly downhill. I've had enough of climbing hills today."_


	18. Chapter 18: Hanging Onto Helping

**Chapter 18**

I woke up in the middle of night terrified. My eyes open wide with fear as I tore off the blanket trying to sit upright and reassure myself that I wasn't there. I hunched over with my arms across my chest, stroking my arms and shoulders trying to calm myself.

I stayed that way for awhile, trying to soothe myself. My breathing started to slow down and my heart's beat, which had been leaping out of my chest like a bird trying to get free a cage, had quieted down. _"It seems that those wounds cut deeper than before, and aren't willing to let me go."_

When I looked out the window I saw the moon, like a beacon of the Maker, shining resiliently against the blackened sky. It hadn't even past its highest point in the sky by much.

That meant that Anders and I hadn't even killed the Flint Company Mercenaries more than a few hours ago. The first group we encountered was the largest of the three. We had no trouble with the others, and after Anders and I had finished the job, Anders bade me goodnight outside of Gamlen's "home" in Lowtown before leaving for his clinic. When I entered this piss poor excuse of a home Garrett gave me this hate filled look before telling me that Grandfather had left everything to us in his will before saying random insults about how I fancied an abomination. _"You're lucky murder is illegal, Garrett. Otherwise I would have slit your throat when you said that."_

And now I was wide awake, shaking with fear from the memories I was constantly reliving in my dreams. _"Well, maybe a few drinks will help me out."_

I pulled my feet over to the side of the bed and when my feet hit the rotting floorboards a bolt of cold shot up through my legs, causing my goose bumps to appear.

I quickly got dressed so that my bare skin wasn't exposed to the cold that long. I grabbed my swords and headed out the door. There was no way to tell what you might run into on the way to the Hanged Man.

When I walked outside I was, surprisingly, greeted with warm air. _"Gamlen's "home" must reflect his heart. Cold."_

It didn't take long for me to get to the Hanged Man. The only thing good about Gamlen's "home" is that it wasn't even 200 paces from away from the Hanged Man. Another plus was that due to the incredibly short distance between the two, nobody tried to mug me so I didn't have to worry about smelling like blood tonight.

As I walked into the Hanged Man I saw a fight start out between a woman and several men. I thought about joining in the fight and helping the woman, but it wasn't necessary when the woman kicked all of their asses and got them to leave. _"Damn! She kicks ass almost as good as I do."_

This woman was certainly beautiful with her dark brown hair, brown eyes, and nicely tanned skin. She also had on clothes that were very revealing and risky to wear, but she pulled the outfit off beautifully. I put on a smile and walked over to her.

"Someone who is able to kick five guys asses and keep her hair nice and neat clearly deservers a drink." I said with a charming smile.

"Messy hair is always sexier though," the woman said returning a charming smile to me.

"Touché," I said then laughed. "Speaking of drinks..." I waved to the bartender and ordered two drinks for myself.

"Two drinks at once huh?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile. _"A pirate, that's what she reminds me of."_

"Saves me from having to order again," I smiled again and let out a short laugh.

When the drinks came I quickly downed them both. I waved to the bartender again and order two more drinks. I really wanted to shit faced tonight. I might be able to sleep if I did.

"That's a good way to get drunk around here," said the pirate with a smile.

"Well you certainly don't come here for the taste of the drinks." I laughed and my head started to hum pleasantly as the alcohol started to kick in.

"Ooohh, that's a good point," said the pirate with an alluring smile and laugh.

My drinks came and I chugged one of them then stuck out my hand. "The name's Luna."

She took my hand and shook. "Isabela, previously Captain Isabela, but that titles a little hollow now since you can't be a captain without a ship."

"A pleasure," I said calmly as I started nursing my drink.

"You're new around here aren't you?" she said with a smile. "I would recognize someone as deadly and beautiful such as you. Anyway, I should warn you that here," she said waving her hand around, "you're nothing but tits and ass and the men won't hesitate grab at both."

"Or women," I said smiling slightly. "I'm not interested by the way. And I'm quite aware of that. I've already had to knock some skulls together to get them to leave me alone."

"You're very brutal you know that," she said with a smile. She was disappointed that I turned her down, but she didn't catch my fancy. Stallions aren't that great when they've been ridden and broken by everyone else before you after all. "But you might be just what I need. Someone from my past has been giving me trouble recently. I've challenged him to a duel, but something tells me he won't play nicely. Will you watch my back?"

"You're asking someone who is almost drunk to watch your back?" I giggled lightly, "Something truly must be in the water to cause everyone to have a crisis around here."

Isabela laughed, "You look like the type a person who could slay an Archdemon while drunk. A few pirates should be nothing for you."

I just laughed and finished off the rest of my drink. "Very well Isabela. I'll watch your back." I paid the bartender and then headed for the door. Isabela was right behind me. "So...where are we going?"

"Hightown, and don't worry, I'll keep your drunk ass from running into any walls." Isabela said with a smile.

"And you said you wanted me to fight."

* * *

><p>"Whoever we're waiting for better show up soon Isabela. I think I'm sobering up." I said with a quiet laugh. We had been waiting for about an hour and Hayder, the guy Isabela was dueling, hadn't showed up.<p>

"Sorry Luna."

"It doesn't matter. Getting shit faced wasn't one of my better pans anyway." I gave her a half smile which quickly faded as I heard the footsteps of three people.

I quickly unsheathed my swords and faced the direction the people should be coming from. Isabela, unwisely, didn't do the same. She just stood there as the three people rounded the corner.

"There's the wench!" the woman who was leading the other two said. "Gut her!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" I yelled and rushed the leader who obviously wasn't expecting it. I quickly kicked her axe out of the way and brought both of my swords down into her chest.

Isabela was being attacked by the other two. One was an archer, and the other carried a sword and shield. Both of them were too preoccupied with Isabela to realize that I was no longer indisposed, so I took advantage of this and snuck around the archer and tore out his throat. He made a soft gurgle as he went down, and when I looked up I saw that Isabela had finally killed the last of them.

"Damn! You DO know how to kick ass!" Isabela said with a smile. "And you were worried about fighting drunk." She laughed again. "Search the bodies, something on them may tell us where Hayder is."

"Fine, fine. And here I was to hoping that I wouldn't smell like blood again." I said with a laugh before searching the leader's body.

Right in her coin purse was a letter from Hayder with instructions to kill Isabela while he hid like a coward in the Chantry. _"Dumb asses. You aren't supposed to have anything the enemy can find you with. What a bunch of fucking amateurs."_

"Hey Isabela!" I called to her. "Hayder's in the Chantry with his tail between his legs. Want to go kill him?"

"Of course I do!"

"Good, because no one calls a fellow woman a wench and gets away with it." I said calmly. _"Damn. My drinks are definitely wearing of quickly. What a bloody waste of money."_ Well, that wasn't entirely true. I did get ten sovereigns off of the leader's body.

"Didn't you already kill her?"

"No," I said with a smile. "The person who gives her orders is hiding in the Chantry. I've got to go kill him now."

Isabela laughed at this. "You know what, I like you."

"You just haven't seen me pissed off." I said flatly. _"Two nights in a row I've found myself in the Chantry. What a fucking coincidence."_

Isabela and I ran all the way to the Chantry. We didn't want to give him a chance to escape. Somehow, I don't know how, we managed to make it there without running into any idiots who think they can take the streets just because it's dark. When we reached the top of the stairs leading to the Chantry, Isabela and I took a one minute breather before we ran inside.

Again it was dark in the Chantry, but it was lit by more candles this time so we could actually see where we were walking without some little spell, orb, thingy.

"I should have known that a persistent bitch like yourself would come Isabela." I deep voice said while the echo of each word resonated off of the walls.

"Maybe you should burn the letters next time." Isabela said flatly.

"Castillon and I were disappointed when you left without saying goodbye." The voice who I assumed belonged to Hayder said, as its owner stepped into the light.

"It must have slipped my mind."

"Enough of these games Isabela, where is the relic?" Hayder said getting angry.

"I lost it," Isabela said after a second's hesitation.

"Lost it! Just like you lost your last ship of cargo?"

"Those weren't cargo Hayder! They were people!" Isabela said defending herself.

I really, really hated this guy, and I hadn't even known him for more than five minutes. "There's only one way to end this," I said bitterly while interrupting Isabela and Hayder's little squabble.

"You're right my friend." Isabela said with the same cold tone as she grabbed one of her daggers and threw it at the woman standing to the left of Hayder.

"Castillon will hear about this!" Hayder yelled as he drew his battle axe.

"Not from you!" I growled as I lunged at him.

He was a better fighter that I thought he would be. He managed to parry a couple of my attacks and get a swing in, but it didn't matter. His attack missed and he died quickly just like the rest. _"I can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I'm able to kill people easily."_

There were very few men and women with Hayder, and by the time I had slaughtered Hayder, Isabela had already killed half of them. Once we were done I walked over to Isabela and wiped someone else's blood from my forehead.

"Well, Castillon certainly won't be hearing this from Hayder, but he will hear of it," I said as I crossed my arms. "What are you going to do now Isabela?"

"Hmmm...I think I'm going to tag along for a bit and keep an eye out for that relic. You seem like the type to always be hip deep in trouble and excitement." Isabela said with a smile and a laugh. "I'll at least know that I won't be bored around you."

"I can't tell if that's a compliment or an insult."

Isabela laughed again. "Let's say it's a compliment and call it a night shall we?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." I said as we walked out of the Chantry.

"_Well I've certainly got the most interesting company: a dwarf, a member of the guard, an apostate mage/abomination, an apostate brother, and now a pirate. Can't find any better companions than those can you?"_


	19. Chapter 19: Not for Order

**Chapter 19**

Three weeks had passed since I met Isabela, and since then I had gained two more companions. One was a Dalish elf named Merill who was a blood mage that acted innocent and was always rambling. The other was an escaped Tevinter Magister's slave, with lyrium infused markings on his skin, and he hates all mages.

We met Merill when we returned Flemeth's amulet to Marethari. Marethari had told us to take the amulet to the top of Sundermount and perform the right of the departed. Instead of teaching us this right, Marethari sent her first/apprentice with us and asked that we take her to Kirkwall with us. When we reached the top of Sundermount and Merill preformed the right at an altar, Flemeth appeared, said some more cryptic, foreshadowy bullshit and then flew off into the horizon and we gained Merill as a companion.

How we met Fenris was through Meran, our old friend in the Red Iron. Meran had given us a job for a man named Anso. The job was simple. Return his cargo to him from the men he hired to deliver it who had decided to keep it for themselves. Upon realizing that there was no cargo we were ambushed by Tevinter slavers. After we slaughtered them all Fenris came out to kill their leader and told us about how he was a slave and that he needed help killing his former master, Danarius. Danarius' mansion was filled with shades, three rage demons, an arcane horror, but no Danarius. Afterwards, Fenris offered to help us even though he hates mages.

However, for all of these things I was not present. Garrett, being the selfish bastard that he is, didn't take me along so I was stuck doing stupid jobs, like running errands or finding missing wives. I never did find her, the wife, only a severed hand with a ring on it that was the wife's.

And now I was looking for a missing templar recruit, Keran, with Isabela and Varric. I would have brought Anders but he had to do something a few days ago that caused him to be gone for a couple of days, _"With any luck he should be back today."_ It was the second time sense I met him. He didn't tell me why or for what when I asked about it, and I didn't really care. All of us were entitled to have a few monsters under the bed.

"Maker's breath Luna! Slow down!" Varric called with gasping breaths interrupting what he was saying after every few words.

"Yeah Luna. We aren't all immortal goddesses of war like you," Isabela said teasingly.

"Ha! Immortal goddess my ass!" I said while laughing. I stopped to let them catch up and gave them a few seconds to catch their breath before walking briskly in the direction of Wilmod's Camp.

Wilmod was a friend of Keran's and a recruit that had been missing until today. The other templar recruits told me about him in the Gallows and that he was somewhere near the Wounded Coast. They also told me that they had informed Knight-Captain Cullen of the same thing.

"Andraste be my witness Wilmod! I will have the truth from you now!"

I rounded the bend just as I heard a weak and pathetic voice speak that I assumed belonged to Wilmod.

"Mercy Ser! Mercy!"

Then the two templars came into view. Wilmod who had been tightly gripped by the shoulders by Cullen was thrown to the ground. Cullen then grabbed his sword and held it to Wilmod's neck.

"Were it that easy!" Cullen said with a menacing growl.

"It's so lovely to see that the templars are branching out and no longer just treating the mages poorly," I interrupted with heavy sarcasm, "but are treating their recruits piss poorly as well."

"It's the bloody Knight-Captain! Don't!" Varric hissed behind me.

"This is templar business stranger," Cullen said looking at us while he still kept the tip of his sword against Wilmod's throat. "Stay out of it!"

That's when my necklace started to burn fiercely. _"Magic! But none of us are mages! Who is tapping into the Fade!"_ Vile, wicked, demonic laughter erupted from where Wilmod now stood in the center of his camp. His laughter cut off whatever was going to be said by us next.

"You have struck me for the last time fool!" Wilmod said in a voice that no longer sounded human.

Wilmod's flesh parted, ripped, and morphed into something inhuman. His bones let out sickening cracks as they were bent and broken to accommodate his new shape. Wilmod was dead, maybe he had already been dead but that no longer mattered because what stood in his place was far worse. Wilmod was an abomination now.

"_Son of a bitch! Well I guess now I know that my necklace will alert me to the presence of demons as well."_ More demons and abominations appeared as Wilmod the Abomination summoned them.

"Fuck!" I said as I unsheathed my swords. _"It looks like I won't be finding out where Keran is from him."_

Fighting demons and abominations is always a pain in the ass. They were always bigger than you, always. And because they weren't human there were no "kill immediately" switches on them that you could just run your swords through. That meant that you had to keep hitting the damn things until their physical bodies outside of the Fade became so mangled that they were forced back into the Fade. Lucky form me not only was I good at killing things, I was also good at hitting things.

Pain in the ass as it was, the demons and abominations were killed easily. _"Something tells me that I'm doomed to a life of smelling like blood all the time."_ I thought as I took into account that I was that I was covered in blood yet again.

"I knew!" Cullen said while gasping for air. "I knew that—"

"If you KNEW, then you wouldn't have brought out the demon that was inside him," I really hated templars. Especially the ones that think they know everything there is to know in the world, and I was very aggravated at that moment. "In fact, if you had known you would have just killed him and saved us the trouble." The burning from my necklace slowly faded as the last remnants of the demons returned to the Fade, and as the Fade was no longer used for magical power. I let out a loud, impatient sigh before saying anything else. "I was looking for another recruit. His name is Keran, and he's apparently a friend of Wilmod's." I crossed my arms and stood in my "don't-fuck-with-me" stance. "Do you know where Keran is?"

"No," Cullen said calmly, paying no attention to what I had yelled at him before that question. "I'm leading an investigation into the disappearance of some of our recruits. Keran was one of them." He stopped talking for a moment deciding on whether or not he should tell us more.

"His lovely, little sister, Macha, asked us to look for him," said Isabela trying to pull a guilt trip over him. Which, thankfully, worked.

"Keran and Wilmod were both last seen together at The Blooming Rose," Cullen finally said. "I didn't have any luck interrogating the...uh...young...ladies there."

"_Pathetic! This dumb templar can't even mention anything about whores or sex without his face turning beat red and stuttering like some nervous teenager who just got his first boner at the sight of a girl."_

"Then I'll go speak with them seeing as you failed to do so. You never know what you can learn from pillow talk."

"You'd be doing the Order a great service," Cullen said. "Thank you."

"I'm not doing this for the Order!" With that said, bitterly, I turned away from the _Knight-Captain_ and headed back the way we came.

"So...what's the plan Luna?" Varric asked once we were out of sight and earshot of Cullen.

"Why do you think I have a plan?"

"Because you were a commander at Ostagar, you fought next to King Cailan and the Grey Wardens in the final battle, and," Varric added a dramatic pause to emphasize the "and" before finally continuing. "And you despise your brother, who never seems to have a plan. So...something tells me that you make plans because he doesn't.

"I make plans because not having one is a quick way to get yourself killed," I said firmly, bitterly, and calmly.

"So, are you going to tell us this plan, or are we going to have to play the guessing game?" Isabela asked jokingly with a smile.

"We'll go to the brothel tonight and ask around there. I'm going to see if Anders is back beforehand and ask him to help us if he is." I said smoothly, quickly finding and using that Commander Hawke persona I had gained in the army.

"Why do we need Blondie's help?" Varric asked.

"Because demons can only possess non-mages if they're put in there by a mage. Anders is an expert on the subject seeing that he was..." I hesitated a moment trying to find something to say that only they would understand and wouldn't tell eavesdroppers that we were friends with an apostate, "...was well taught about it."

"You sound like an expert on the subject yourself," Varric said with soft chuckle.

"Only because I've overheard some things," I said with a lame answer.

"Oh come on Luna," Varric said in his charming, dwarf storyteller voice, "there's more to it than that."

"Your right," I said calmly looking behind my shoulder at him, "but that's a story for another time."

"Fine, fine, Rivaini and I'll wait for you at the Hanged Man."

"Of course that's where you two will be," I said with a small smile.


	20. Chapter 20: Helpful Men

**Chapter 20**

It wasn't a long walk to Darktown, but it still took a lot of time because you constantly had to avoid being murdered along the way. Darktown was the type of place where it was suicide to go at night and only stupid to go during the day. You always had to watch your back during the day and night though, so that a knife wasn't rammed through it. Course I guess that's why most people are killed from the front down here.

When I got to Anders' clinic I knocked lightly on the wooden door to let him know I was here. I heard soft footsteps from inside and a wave of relief washed over me. _"Thank the Maker he's back."_ The door slowly opened and I saw Anders standing there holding the knife that should be sheathed on his belt, but you can't blame caution. He seemed relieved to see me as well, probably because he was expecting some thugs or maybe something worse. Like templars for example.

"It's good to see that you made it back in one piece," I said charmingly. He let out a hum of amusement and gave me a small smile.

"Let me guess...you need my help," He said getting straight to the point.

"What no time for friendly banter?" I asked jokingly with a smile.

He laughed, _"Maker, I love his laugh. It's so...musical,"_ and his smile broadened a little bit. "Guess not."

"Ok then, yes, I do need your help."

"What you would you do without me?" he said with a chuckle.

"I'd probably go insane because almost all of my companions are all so serious. Well, except for Isabela...and maybe Varric." I said in an alluring tone and with a smile. "I'm one of the few people that actually use sarcasm and knows how to have a good time."

"Good point!" He laughed a little before his smile slightly faded. "What is it this time?"

"I'm helping someone locate their missing brother...and a friend of his that we found was possessed by a demon, and before you pull the "apostate mage" card you should know that both of them are...well...templar recruits." I half winced at the last part expecting something angry or resent to come from Anders because I wanted his help to help templars. _"No that's not it. I'm worried that Justice might come out."_

"And you suspect blood mages?" Anders said calmly while he folded his arms across his chest.

"Yes," I said instantly feeling incredibly bad for the wince he almost certainly saw. "The only way a non-mage can be possessed by a demon is if the demon is put there by a mage...and seeing as you're an expert on the subject I was hoping you would help."

"Very well I'll help, but only if you promise to tell me how you already know so much more than the average person about this sort of thing." Anders said with a charming smirk of his.

"Ok I promise," I said then smiled and winked at him, "but I should point out you never said when I had to tell you."

"Hey! You never told me you used loopholes," Anders said with a smirk and his sultry voice.

I giggled and flashed him my most beautiful smile, "You never asked."

"So...when are we going to rescue the recruit?" He asked getting all serious again.

"As soon as we know where he is, and we'll hopefully know after we've visited The Blooming Rose tonight. Meet Isabela, Varric, and I at the Hanged Man at sunset?"

"Alright, but if they try to hire me at The Blooming Rose again I'm leaving." He said with a smirk

I just giggled in response and walked out of his clinic giving a slight wave over my shoulder as I left. Then I quickly got out of Darktown. I had enough of this part of Kirkwall for one day.

* * *

><p>Not knowing what to do till sunset I walked around Lowtown for a little bit. Lowtown was pretty busy today, which is no surprise. This is the best market in Kirkwall when it comes to having things people need and having it at affordable prices. <em>"If I remember correctly, someone tried to sell Andraste's ashes here."<em> The people who tried to pull off that stupid scam had been swiftly brought to justice by Aveline and myself before they had a chance to screw over anyone else. _"Aveline. Perhaps I should check up on her and see if she needs anything, well that is if she's actually in the barracks and not running around after Garrett."_

So my walk in Lowtown actually turned into a walk through Hightown. It wasn't so hard to get to, and through, Hightown. There weren't as many people and the nobles stuck their noses up at me and got out of my path anyway which was sort of a mixed blessing. It didn't help me feel welcomed in the city that's for sure, not that it mattered. Kirkwall would never be my home, nor would any other place we have had to flee to because of Father, Garrett, Marian, or the darkspawn. They were just temporary sanctuaries until circumstance made them dangerous and unwelcomed. _"I don't have a home. I never have."_

When I entered the barracks I didn't see Aveline right away. At first I was confused, but then I remembered that Aveline was now Guard-Captain and that she would be in the captain's office. I knocked firmly on the door and waited patiently with my arms crossed.

"Come in," I heard Aveline reply in a firm, commanding voice.

I opened the door and walked in and jokingly said "If I had been anyone else, those two words would have scared the shit out of me."

"Its how I keep the bullshit out of here," Aveline said with a smile. "So, what brings you here Luna?"

"Just checking in to see if you're doing alright and if you need anything."

"That's very kind of you," she said surprised.

"What? Did you expect me to come in here swearing up a storm?" I chuckled lightly, "I don't do that ALL the time Aveline."

"Just most of the time then?"

"Precisely!" I laughed this time and this time she joined in. When we had finally managed to breathe again and stop laughing I continued on. "So do you have anything worth doing?"

"I do have something," she said while pausing for a moment as she recalled the details. "There's a group of bandits in Hightown that have been causing problems at night."

"Of course it's at night. It's the only time they don't feel like pussies as they attack from the shadows."

Aveline just shrugged before saying anything else. "Most of the group is supposed to be in the "Dwarven Courtyard," as the locals call it, tomorrow night. I could use your help clearing them out."

"Sounds fun. I'll see if Fenris and Isabela will help. It would be stupid if just the two of us go alone." I said while calmly crossing my arms.

"Don't think we can handle it?"

"No, I KNOW we can handle it," I said, "I just don't want to have to do a lot of work."

Aveline laughed at that, "I like the way you think."

"Yeah I know," I smiled. "I'm going to go talk to Fenris. With any luck he and Isabela will meet us in the market district tomorrow night."

"Very well Luna, see you tomorrow night."

* * *

><p>For a second I thought Fenris wasn't home. When I entered his mansion it was dimly lit and I couldn't hear anything. But as I turned to leave I heard the echo of footsteps.<p>

"Who goes there?" I heard Fenris call. I walked into the main room and raised my hand in greeting.

"I do," I said with a smile.

"Oh, Luna," Fenris said as his voice brightened a little and his eyes became softer. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you'd help Isabela, Aveline, and I kill some bandits tomorrow night. We're meeting at the market district in Hightown tomorrow night. Care to join in on kicking some ass?"

Fenris chuckled in amusement. "I would love to and thankfully you caught me before your brother, otherwise I might not be able to help," Fenris said, clearly agitated by Garrett. "He always needs my assistance for some reason. It's getting rather annoying and I see now why you hate him. You have my sympathies."

"You know," I said with smile, "you're the second person that's said that to me."

Thunderous laughter erupted from Fenris then. "And I highly doubt that I'll be the last."

We stood there laughing for a short time, but I couldn't stay there long. I would prefer it if I got to the Hanged Man sooner than was necessary just so I wasn't late. I bid Fenris farewell and goodnight before walking all the way back to Lowtown. _"Here in Kirkwall I always feel like I'm going in circles. In Ferelden things were so spaced out that you just felt like you had to walk to the end of the world a for something. I kind of miss it."_


	21. Chapter 21: A Toast to New Found Fun

**Chapter 21**

Once I got to the Hanged Man I of course saw Isabela and Varric. Varric was trying to win at cards against Isabela, even though she's a cheater. A smile came to my lips as I noticed that Anders was there too. He was sitting next to Varric and both of them had their backs to me.

When Isabela had finished her turn she looked up from her cards and saw me waking towards them and gave me a big enthusiastic wave.

"Hey!" she said. "Come to join the party."

"I didn't know there was one. You never told me." My smile broadened as Varric and Anders turned around to greet me, and as Isabela took advantage of their distraction to cheat by pulling one of the cards she had hidden in her crotch to her hand.

"Oh Luna. Haven't you figured out that every night's a party here yet?" Varric said with a deep throated chuckle.

"Apparently not," I said with a short laugh. I grabbed a chair from a table close to the one they were sitting at and pulled it next to Anders. I leaned over and whispered into Anders' ear, "You know she's cheating right?"

Anders just smiled, slightly, and gave me a nod. He didn't say anything, and I found that a little odd. Anders almost always had something witty and/or sarcastic to say. _"Why is he so quiet?"_

I looked at Isabel who seemed to know me a little more than most. She just gave me a shrug of her shoulders as an answer to my unspoken question. _"Well _**that**_ was helpful."_

"So Blondie," Varric said, "I'm surprised you're here. I would have figured it would be impossible to get you out of that clinic of yours."

Anders was about to say something, but Isabela was quick to interrupt. "Oh, quit complaining Varric. It's nice to have him around," Isabela said, speaking an unknown thought I was thinking. "Besides, I was hoping that I could convince him to do that electricity thing again," then she said more provocatively, "that was nice when you did it at the Pearl."

I felt myself blush as I asked, "Electricity thing?" I raised my eyebrows at Isabela. Anders coughed nervously and a big, dirty smile washed across Isabela's face, and Varric and her burst out laughing at some inside joke I must have missed out on.

"What?" Anders finally asked after Isabela and Varric had finally stopped laughing. _"Glad to know I'm not the only one out of the loop."_

"It's...ah...nothing, just...just nothing." Varric said before he had another fit of uncontrollable laughing.

Anders looked at me wondering if I had any idea as to what was going on. I shrugged my shoulders and mouthed "Fucked if I know." A smile spread across his lips and I returned a smile of my own to compliment his. _"I think it's time to get some answers."_

In one fluid movement I stood up, slid the chair out from underneath me loudly with my legs, and slammed my hands on the table. I glanced from Varric to Isabela with a wicked smile and mischievous eyes as I said, "Alright. Tell me what's so damn funny, now."

"Should I tell her, or do you want to do it Rivaini?" Varric asked in an innocent tone.

"I don't know," Isabela said before she looked at me. "You sure you want to know?"

"Yeah," I said as I tried to convince her and myself that I really did.

"Alright," she said, "but don't say I didn't warn you. Before Anders came in here, Varric and I were talking about..." a teasing smile came to her lips, "about how you were taking...a fancy to Anders...and how...you know..." My eyes grew wide and my jaw dropped at what she was saying. "And then you asking about Anders' electricity thing reminded us about the conversation." Isabela chuckled that alluring chuckle of hers. "It was much more amusing when we were talking about it, but it was the kind of thing you had to be there for."

I forced myself to have a serene look on my face as I slowly sat down so that it appeared that I was calm. Anders avoided looking at me, no doubt trying to hide that he was blushing and embarrassed like me. I didn't want to be in the Hanged Man anymore. I was trying to figure out if I should leave or not, but then I'd have to come back if I did leave and that would make the embarrassment much worse than it already was. _"Fuck it! I'm going to make them feel like shit for it!"_

I folded my hands, calmly, in my lap before looking up at the both of them. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but even though he is dead I am still faithful to my fiancé. You can stop all the fantasies you've created now."

"_Jackpot!"_ The smile on Isabela's face slowly faded and Varric quickly looked down at his hand, suddenly very interested in the game he hadn't been paying attention to a moment ago. _"Yeah that's right. You don't fuck around when someone's lost their fiancé or the person they love... That should keep them off my back...for maybe a day"_

"I'm going to go get a drink," and with that I stood up and strode over to the bartender. Anders got up and followed me. "You want one too?" I finally asked over my shoulder while giving him a wink.

"Nah," he said, "Justice doesn't let me get drunk anymore...so drinking's kinda lost its charm." He offered up a smile again and I flashed him one of my own.

"Well it is fun to get totally shit faced every now and then." I said as we got to the counter. I ordered my drinks then stood with my back to the counter as I leaned against it with my elbows resting on it. Anders walked over and leaned over the counter with both of his hands gripping its edge lightly. I turned my head slightly to the right and saw that Isabela and Varric were talking to each other quickly, and they were being deliberately quiet about it.

"Wonder what they're talking about," I said quietly, not really expecting an answer. Anders snorted in disgust when glanced over his shoulder at them, which surprised me. Anders was never angry, and never, ever got disgusted with anything beside the Chantry and the Circles.

"Fucked if I know," he said bitterly. I let out a _huff_ and my drinks finally arrived. As I took a sip Anders stood up straight and moved a little so that he was facing me a bit more than he had been. One of his hands was now at his sides and he said, "You know about what you said..."

I brought my drink down from my lips and held it with both hands. "It was a total dick move, I know," I said calmly. I looked into my cup and focused on its half-emptiness so that I didn't have to meet Anders' gorgeous brown eyed stare that always made me blush. "But it was the only thing that I could come up with at the time for that situation."

"I'm sorry that he came up." I looked over at him then. Anders didn't say who "he" was, but I knew he meant Zach. I met his eyes for a moment before nervously looking back at my cup of piss born alcohol hoping that he didn't see the blush that his beautiful eyes had caused.

"I should have said something earlier," he continued as he moved back to leaning against the counter, and looked down at it before continuing, like he was ashamed for what had happened, "so that you didn't have to bring him up. It's just that I...that I knew that's what they had been talking about as I came in...and I was hoping that if I didn't talk to you at all today that maybe they would drop it...or think something happened...or..." I turned around and faced him at that time, and I gently placed my hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright," I said with an innocent voice that I only used with dealing with little children and never let anyone I knew hear it in case they thought I actually had a soft side.

I offered him a kind smile and removed my hand from his shoulder and chugged the last of my drink. I shook my head a little as I slammed it on the counter and then tossed the money I owed next to it. I turned back to Anders and with a smirk and a wink I said, "Besides, they should know by now that someone like you wouldn't go for a violent barbarian like me."

Anders opened his mouth to say something, but I walked over towards Isabela and Varric and called out, "Hey Isabela!" before he could say anything. "I learned this neat little trick to add to that game to make it more interesting in the army. And no, it doesn't involve stripping."

"Spoil sport!" Isabela called back with a laugh. I laughed too. Staying angry at someone doesn't help anyone, not even yourself. It's best to just move on and try to make up for what happened with something good.

* * *

><p>It took awhile before Isabela fully caught on to what I was trying to teach her. It was really simple. All it was, was that whoever won that round had to come up with a category that all of us had to answer. Say for instance that I won. I would then say something like "favorite food," or "most embarrassing sex partner" we would all have to say an answer that fit into that category. So the only bonus for winning was that you got to pick the category.<p>

That little modification certainly made the game more interesting, and we no longer cared if Isabela cheat because she come up with the most interesting categories.

"Bout damn time I won!" Anders said as he finally won that round.

"Quit boasting and pick a category already," I said teasingly.

"You can't rush perfection my dear," he replied in his sultry tone that always drove me crazy...the good crazy of course.

"She's not rushing perfection Anders. She's rushing you," Isabela said with a giggle.

"Hey!" Anders said, but was still smiling. It took awhile, but Isabela and I had finally got him to drink some and he got noticeably happier and more of the partying type. _"Maybe this was a little bit of what he was like before everything that happened with Justice."_

"Ok, so what's the most interesting person you've ever fucked?" He finally asked with a smirk.

"Ooh, that would be the Hero of Ferelden for me," said Isabela, "of course she wasn't a hero when I met here."

"I'd have to say a coterie dwarf for me," Varric said with smile. "Boring I know but you said most interesting and I don't have too many of those."

"I'd have to say it was the Hero of Ferelden when she WAS the Hero AND the Commander of the Grey." Anders said with a smirk.

"You've got me beat there," Isabela said as she took another swig of her drink.

"What about you Luna?" Anders asked as he looked over at me. I hesitated for a moment and Isabela took advantage of that.

"You're not a virgin are you?" She said with a dirty smile, and I unwillingly blushed a lot at that. "Oh how cute! You ARE a virgin still! That's sooo adorable!" everyone at the table started laughing, though I noticed that Anders didn't laugh nearly as hard or as much.

"But you seem so informed on the subject," Isabela finally said once she caught her breath.

"Who says you have to have sex to know how to have it and how to be good at it?" I said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "Anyway laugh it up all you like. Flowers are all the more attractive when they still have petals on them anyway."

"Well that's certainly an interesting way of putting it," Anders said with a chuckle.

"That's because I'm an interesting person. Now come on, we should start heading to the Blooming Rose to look for..."

"Keran," Varric said, filling in the name for me.

"Right, that guy!" They all burst out laughing again, and this time I joined them.

For the first time in over a year I had actually had FUN.


	22. Chapter 22: Finding Lost Control

**Chapter 22**

"Ah, the brothel...my day is complete!" I said sarcastically once we had entered The Blooming Rose. I looked back at Isabela, Varric, and Anders with a smile.

"Like I told you before Luna," Anders said with an attractive grin, "if they try to hire me again I'm leaving."

"Well you can't blame them Anders," Isabela said lightheartedly, "for wanting someone as handsome and sexy as you working here."

Anders just chuckled lightly, but he didn't blush. If I had said something like that on the other hand, his cheeks probably would have turned bright red. _"Along with my own no doubt."_

We walked into the main room of the brothel and vibrant music reached out ears. Everything here was exciting, bright, and happy. It had to be, it was a whore house after all and they needed to cover up the moans, screams, and the nature of this place.

I walked over to the woman who looked like she...took care of the customers. As I walked towards he I felt someone elbow me in the side. I looked over and up at Anders. He motioned to the right and I had to look around him to see what he wanted me to look at. A broad smile came across my lips as I saw Uncle Gamlen standing at the brothel's bar. I looked back at Anders and he had a small smirk dancing on his face. I somehow resisted the urge to laugh as the woman we needed to talk to greeted us.

"Welcome to The Blooming Rose. My name's Viveka. Would you like to see the men or the women?"

I heard Isabela stifle a laugh as I talked. "Neither. I'm actually here looking for two templar recruits. Their names are Keran and Wilmod. Do you know anything about them?"

"I'm sorry Serah, but we don't give information like that to every nobody that comes in here and asks for it." Viveka stood up a little taller, trying to make it look like she was the toughest one there.

I followed up her slight adjustment with one of my own. I placed a hand on my hip and put all of my weight onto one foot, adding a little bit of my badass swagger into it. My change in position said "I'm-the-fucking-toughest-here-bitch" and a flash of uneasiness flickered in Viveka's eyes. I had won.

"The templars are the ones that want this information," I said venomously. "It would be in your best interest to help them."

"We get a lot of money off of nervous templars that expect some privacy," Viveka said, continuously denying me the information I needed.

"I'll be discreet," my impatience could be heard in my voice and I crossed my arms to reinforce it.

Viveka sighed and mumbled, "Let me go look in the books." She walked over to the counter of the bar and flipped back a few pages in the book that was sitting there. She quickly skimmed down the page with her finger and turned back around to face us. "Wilmod came here a lot. You sure he had time to be a templar?" I didn't give an answer, but I don't think she expected one because she turned back to the book before anyone who wanted to reply could. "Both of them last saw "Idunna the Exotic Wonder of the East."" Viveka said the woman's stage name in a hate filled monotone.

"You don't like her I take it," Anders said from behind me.

"I'm not paid to like tramps from Darktown sweet thing," she said while looking past me and at him.

"Sorry, I'm spoken for," Anders said that as he raised his hands in an obvious motion that told her to stop and he took a slight step back. Viveka's eyes said "damn" as her gaze rested upon me again.

"Listen," Viveka said, "you didn't get any of this from me. We clear?"

"Crystal," I said when I walked past her and up to Idunna's room. Isabela gave me instructions.

"May I ask by who Anders?" Varric finally asked once we were out of Viveka's range of hearing.

"Go ahead, but I might answer by saying I was lying." Anders smirked and caught up to me. He accidently bumped elbows with me and both of our cheeks flushed with embarrassment, unconscientiously.

* * *

><p>"You must be the "Exotic Wonder of the East,"" I said as we turned into the room that held an intoxicatingly beautiful woman. "Do you remember "entertaining" a templar recruit by the name of Wilmod or Keran?"<p>

"Wilmod...Wilmod...that name doesn't sound familiar to me," Idunna said in a voice that reminded me of a spider's silk that was meant to entrap its helpless prey while her beauty and seductive nature brought the prey close enough to be caught. Her charms didn't work on me, though the same could not be said for my friends.

"Do you always play this charade for your clients? It must get dreadfully boring." I smirked a little at her. _"She's faking it."_

"Wha-Whatever do you mean?" Idunna broke out of character for just a second at the beginning of what she said. "Questions are boring," she said, switching back into her spider silk tone as she walked around her bed and sat on it, "let's have some real fun." Idunna moved one of her hands around in a circle on the bed next to her as a clear invitation to join her.

"Luna, go easy on this...lovely creature," Varric said.

I looked back at them, and they were all staring intently at Idunna. Their eyes looked glazed over and they all seemed to be interested in what she had to offer. Even Anders and he just turned down Viveka. _"Something's wrong."_

"You should listen to your friend."

"As relentless as you are," I replied, "I'm here for a templar investigation so I suggest that you think a little harder about the names Wilmod and Keran." I had started out charming as I talked, but my voice quickly started to become bitter, demanding, and firm towards the end of what I was saying. My tolerance was running on low for the "Exotic Pain in the Ass of the East."

"First answer my question," Idunna said with her impossibly beautiful eyes locking my own with her, "who told you about little old me?"

I was about to retort something filled with my anger I was feeling towards this woman that was toying with us like a cat with a mouse, but I couldn't form the words in my mouth. Instead I found myself betraying someone against my own will. I was no longer in control of myself.

"Viveka...Viveka told me." I stammered, trying to stop myself from saying it, but I couldn't. There was no way for me to block the... "_spell. Shit! She's a mage! Why didn't I feel it before?"_ That's when I noticed that my necklace was indeed burning me a little more than it normally did when it was just Anders that was around. _"FUCK!"_

I looked at Idunna with nothing but pure hatred. I couldn't do anything...and she knew it.

When she saw the look I was shooting her she scoffed, lightly and moved away from the bed and stood in front of me. I wanted to reach out and wring her filthy little neck, but the damn bitch's blood magic spell was forcing me to stand there...silently as she continued to toy with me now that I was caught in her web. _"I have to admit that she does play the predator quite well...let's see how long it takes before I finally get to show her up."_

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" She leaned forward a little so that she was barely a hairsbreadth away from me. I wanted to spit on her, but that too required me to actually be in control. Idunna giggled quietly to herself as I tried to fight against her spell. _"Perhaps I can still access my necklace's abilities."_ That's when I heard it. At first it was just quiet whisperings in my head, but then it turned into screams, awful blood curdling screams of the victims whose lives have been claimed by this spell. There was no way to escape it. All I had to do was endure and try to block it out as best as I could.

"So, Viveka sold me out hmm?" A look of disgust stretched across Idunna's face. "That drab, pathetic little sewer rat. She will be dealt with" Idunna backed away from me a little bit and placed her hands on her hips. _"Fuck! I can't use my necklace's dispell abilities because I need exert my willpower on it, and thanks to the blood magic I'm not able to do that. That bitch!" _

"Just do one more thing for me," Idunna said with a wicked smile pealing across her face. I felt the sensation of her spell intensify with her words, and a feeling of dread shivered through my body for a moment as I recognized something terrible in her eyes. It was a glint of "fun." Whatever was coming next was something that Idunna loved to do.

"Draw your blade," My body was moving against me as she said those words. I felt my hand go to my belt and unsheathe a blade I had hidden underneath the leather, "And bring it gently across your throat."

My arm slowly started to rise to my throat and my lips parted in a slight, inaudible gasp. _"I was able to gasp on my own. She must be focusing her spell more on what she wanted me to do than what I could do. She messed up."_ The blade was now at the side of my neck and I felt it dig in a little. Blood trickled down my neck as I tried franticly to stop myself.

"Anders..." I managed to gasp out and Idunna's eyes widened a little as she realized she had fucked up. "Stop...her!"

I was still struggling with the knife and it was getting in deeper. The butterflies in my heart started to beat against their cage as I thought this might be the end. Nothing was happening. Maybe Anders couldn't do anything.

"LET GO...OF MY...FRIENDS!" Anders booming voice filled the room. At first I thought it was Justice who had said it, but it sounded human and my thoughts quickly turned to getting that damn knife away from my throat right after Anders removed the spell.

I let out a very deep and heavy gasp as I brought the knife away from me in such a dramatic reaction to finally being able to move on my own that I almost sliced my leg open. I relief welled up in me as the screams were suddenly gone, but I didn't let the relief show on my face or eyes. I was still extremely angry.

"How did you...?" Idunna said towards Anders before seeing the death stare that I was giving her, "Oh shit! Please messere, have mercy!" She backed away from us and once she reached the wall, which wasn't too far behind her, she fell to her knees.

I walked forward and loomed over her. "I only have mercy for those that deserve it!" I said in a pissed off, demonic, and malicious voice before I swung my blade at her throat.

Blood shot out of her neck as she sank to the floor where it quickly spread all around her in a pool of dark scarlet. The all too familiar scent of blood and death filled the room as Idunna's blood started to lap at my boots. I spat on her corpse before backing away from the gory mess at the same time as I turned around to face my...friends. _"It's been awhile since I've had any live ones. It feels good and its sad to say that I'm not really used to considering people that."_

"Ugh...it feels like I have the worst hangover ever," Anders said rubbing his forehead. "I really hate blood mages."

"That bitch!" said Isabela. "I only like being controlled if it involves whips and chains."

"It all depends on how they whip you though Rivaini," Varric chided in, not commenting on what just happened with his own opinion.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "We should look around and see if we can find anything that might tell us what the fuck we should do now." I crossed my arms. I was still pissed, I mean really, really pissed. _"How the hell could I be so weak? I couldn't even stop a fucking blood mage from making my throat minced meat! I need to get stronger!"_ I was about the go around to the night stand next to the bed when Anders blocked me.

"Let me take a look at that," he said as he reached up impulsively and turned my head to the side so that he could get a better view at my cut. He studied it for a few seconds and I waited patiently. "Hold still for a moment—"

I started to feel the sensation of his healing magic, but my hand quickly flew up and grabbed his wrist cutting off what he was saying and his magic. I pulled his hand down away from my neck. He looked at me with surprise and he met my eyes, which at the moment were probably cold and emotionless.

"Save your mana for something important Anders," I said coldly with no hint of emotion behind my words. "I'll live." I offered up a slight smile.

I released his hand and he turned away from me, muttering under his breath. I could only catch the last word and it was "important" I think.

"Well, well, well it looks like our blood mage is from the Undercity," Varric said with an amused tone. He then looked up at me. "Have I ever told you that I hate it there?"

"Yes, on multiple occasions in fact."

"Good, then you'll know how much I will enjoy finishing our search for Karen," Varric said with a frown. "Which is to say: not at all."

"You can stay here if you want," Isabela piped in with a smirk.

"The Undercity it is," Varric said quickly with mock enthusiasm.

"Indeed," I said quietly as I started to walk out of the door. _"I've had enough of blood mages for one night...but we need to save Karen...or pick up his body at least."_


	23. Chapter 23: The Fade of Battle

**Chapter 23**

"Varric quit complaining...please. You're making my ears hurt," Isabela said in an "innocent" tone of voice.

"I'm sorry Rivaini; it's just that I really hate the Undercity." Varric sounded a little agitated at the moment.

"So I've heard...many, many times so far," I replied quietly and patiently like I was talking to a child. _"I don't like the Undercity as much as the next person, but you don't hear me complaining everyone's ears off now do you?"_

"Hey! I live here you know!" Anders said in a mock hurt as he clasped his hands over his heart to emphasize the joke while making himself look ridiculous. He had a small smile on his lips as he pretended to be hurt by Varric's complaints about in the Undercity.

"By choice too!" Varric said joining in on the joking and trying to make himself sound outraged while he was laughing. "Are you insane?"

"He must be, seeing as he hasn't given in to Luna's lovely charm yet," Isabel said with a sly smirk as she tested the limits of the topic that I had foolishly showed hits a nerve with me, and possibly Anders.

An eerie silence pursued her words as we walked through the Undercity towards our destination. I could feel the tension around my friends in anticipation for what I was going to say next. _"They probably expect me to blow up on her for touching that topic again. Am I really that predictable? Ugh...that's what I get for being so violent...but violence is so fun!"_

"Thank you for the awkward silence, Isabela," I said calmly without looking back at her. I was just going to have to get used to her doing stuff like this. If I got mad at everything she said about stuff like that then I would be pissed off all the time. Sometimes you have to let the words go so that the intentions are forgotten.

"No problem," she said, making her words dance around in defense in case I, out of nowhere, suddenly turned around and bitch slapped the shit out of her. This amused me a little and I let out a soft chuckle, which startled them, so I laughed even more.

"What's so funny Luna?" Anders asked in his adorable sultry voice.

"That you all tense up when you expect me to get angry, and how you try to avoid getting me angry. It's quite entertaining actually." I looked at him and a teasing smile lit up my face. "Anyway, I think this is the passage we need."

"Yeah, it looks about right," Varric said. "It practically screams "mine shaft of imminent doom" so it HAS to be the mine shaft we need to go down."

"Even if it wasn't the right one we'd probably feel obligated to go clambering down it just for shits and giggles cause that's what we find ourselves doing anyways." I remarked in a sultry tone, then let out a heavy sigh. "Maker I love this life I lead," I said sarcastically as I crossed my arms in an unimpressed manner and walked towards the shaft. I peered over the edge and saw that it was dimly lit by a small lantern at the bottom before I quickly recoiled away from it when I caught a whiff of something that did NOT smell pleasant at all.

"What? Jump at your own shadow again?" Isabela asked with a smirk of amusement at my reaction.

"Ha-ha, very fucking funny!" I said with fake laughter. "It smells like shit down there and I got lucky enough to smell it before all of you." They all burst out laughing then and I joined them for a little.

"Ok Isabela, you get to go first," I said after I caught my breath in a commanding voice that was still edged with my laughter.

"What the hell did I do to deserve that?" Isabela whined, her voice becoming a couple of octaves higher than normal.

"You made fun of me," I said with my lovely, wicked smile then I looked down at her hips in an obvious gesture for her to take notice at what she was wearing. "And I don't think that you're dressed properly to go down last."

"But I thought the boys would want a free show," Isabela said with a alluring smirk that got Varric to whistle as if he wasn't paying attention and got Anders to look away and cough nervously. I joined Isabela's laughter with my own as she made for the mine shaft. The ladder was all rusty and Isabela complained about it ruining her nails, but she finally gave up when she realized it wouldn't work and started to climb down the unstable ladder. I followed down behind her and next came Anders, then Varric. It didn't take long before we had all climbed down and were all in the blood mages liar, _"or should I say abandoned mine? I guess they're one and the same right now. "_

"Be careful up ahead," Anders said with a firm voice. "Who knows how many demons or traps these blood mages have prepared." Everyone suddenly got serious and there were no more jokes. It was like all of Thedas was taking in a deep breath...waiting...for what would happen next.

"Best to let me go first then Luna," Varric commented in a soft tone, "I'm the best at disarming traps here...unless you've had good experience with them."

"I have," I said without boasting, "but it would be a better idea to have me watch your back. I'm good at that. I had to be in order to have kept all my men alive back at Ostagar for so long till that business with Loghain..." My voice trailed and my eyebrows furrowed into a frown as I thought back on it. I quickly shook my head and shattered the memory so that I could focus on the task at hand.

"Lead on Varric," I said with a small smile while stepping to the side to let him get in front of me.

"I never expected those words to come out of your mouth," Varric said with a chuckle of amusement as he passed me and went about leading and checking for traps on our path.

We didn't get very far before Varric spotted the first trap, and it was a very complex one at that. _"So they put their best traps out first and then slowly declined in the complexity the further in they went in...unfortunately these mages are only stupid for using blood magic."_

"This looks like a trigger for the other traps to me," Varric said as he started to work on disarming it. "Hey you guys we might actually get lucky this time!" He chuckled lightly to himself.

"Maker knows we need some of that luck right about now," I muttered under my breath and I saw Anders give me a sideways glance after I had said it. He must have heard me, but I really didn't care.

I brought my hand up to my necklace trying to see if I could sense any unusual disturbances in the Fade around here. All I could feel though was the Fade bending around Anders though as it flowed through him and supplied him with power even though he wasn't using any...as far as I knew anyway. He might have activated some sustained abilities I didn't know about.

You see, what most people don't know is that the Fade is always around us. It's merely another dimension that we can't see when we're awake and lies just beyond the realm we live in. The Fade is constantly flowing through our world and cannot be felt by any normal means. It gives the mages power and supplies life to other living things. Everything is born of the Fade and once it has lived its life or completed its task it returns to the Fade, and maybe to the Maker or any other Gods that we believe in. The Chantry would have you believe that it is the land of the Maker and that we can only visit it in dreams and in death. What they don't tell you, or want you to believe, is that the Fade is always next to us, always with us and that we are constantly being touched by it, even if you aren't a mage. Mages are just more sensitive to it and have the power to shape and bend it to their will. We live and breathe the Fade but the unworldly separation caused by the Veil is what keeps the demons and spirits away from us and us away from the demons and spirits...though that sometimes doesn't work. The fact of the matter is, the Fade is everything in this world. It is the mana the mages use. It is the air we breathe. And it is the strength we use to protect. The Fade is everything and has everything. It's our supplier of life, and how it gets its supplies is unknown...but I'll let my faith decide how it gets it, just like everyone else does when it comes to the higher power that does or doesn't exist.

My necklace was a gift, and what it does is sense the Fade's energy flow around me...as well as some other things. That energy from the Fade is pooling in and around Anders right now because he is a mage. Some of that energy is actually coming from him, which is unusual but is probably caused by Justice. That is the only disturbance I can feel at the moment, and the rest of the Fade's energy is flowing normally through Isabela, Varric, and I, as well as the inanimate objects in the abandoned mine.

I continued to pay attention to the Fade's energy as well as what I could see and hear. _"So far so good."_ Varric was teaching Isabela how to disarm the trap seeing as she was only good at picking locks and nothing bad had happened so far, but that didn't stop me from being tense or on high alert for anything that sounded or even slightly looked like trouble. I was always glancing around and checking behind me to make sure this wasn't an ambush...but nothing happened. _"The quiet before the storm..."_

I ran my fingers over the smooth, cool surface of my metal necklace and slid it back and forth on the chain it was hanging by around my neck. It was in the shape of a meteor and it had a tail of stardust behind. I traced its outline with my hand feeling every line and crease of the design. The tail of the meteor was a shimmering, bright, deep blue that looked like flame trailing off of the meteor itself which was an earthly red-brown color that some of the blue surged around in little vine like streams. The texture of my necklace was very realistic too. The tail was smooth while the meteor was rough to the touch which added to the uniqueness of it all. It was a fine gift that I would treasure forever.

A shift in the Fade's energy brought me from my thoughts and my eyes snapped up to look at the passage in front of us. I dropped my hands and I reached for the hilts of my swords. I quickly unsheathed them, and then skirted around Varric and Isabela.

"Isabela you can learn to disarm traps later, right now I need you in the fight," I said urgently to her.

"What fight?" she asked, not understanding what I meant because she couldn't feel the demons coming. None of them could except possibly Anders.

"The fight that involves multiple demons that are coming from the front , the left, and the right," then I practically interrupted myself as I turned around and looked behind me. "Anders, I'm gonna need you to take care of the ones on the right, but don't come down those stairs. Stay on the higher ground, alright?"

"Gotcha!" he said as he hastily walked up the stairs.

I heard an inhuman growl come from up ahead as I got done with ordering Anders what to do. The demons were passing through the Fade quicker than I had anticipated. These demons probably weren't the lesser demons that would be easy to kill. _"It looks like our luck doesn't extend beyond finding the triggers for other traps. We still get stuck with the hard to kill demons, how lovely."_

"Isabela, you take care of the ones on the left." I paused for a moment. "Varric once you're done with that trigger switch join in and attack whanever you can, just don't hit any of us." I then looked dead ahead and nodded. "I'll take care of the ones in the front," I said reassuringly.

I felt the Veil "shriek" as it was torn just enough for the demons to get through. The Fade's energy then became all chaotic as some of it flowed into Anders more intensely, while the rest of it was sucked up by the demons. The demons needed the Fade's energy to create physical bodies for them to inhabit now that they were in the physical world beyond the Veil and the spiritual realm they had come from.

"_Now we see blood!"_ A snarl came from my throat as I bared my teeth in defiance at them. My necklace was blazing with intense heat as new, more sinister, magic entered from outside the Fade. _"You will not experience our realm for long demons!"_

My estimate as to where the demons would appear was spot on. Three demons materialized on the right, two materialized on the left, and four of them materialized in the front. _"Good thing the fewer are on the left. I don't think that Isabela's encountered many demons before."_

I was caught between figuring out whether or not I should charge towards the demons or let them come to me. If I charged them it left Varric wide open to an attack, and if I didn't it would leave Isabela exposed to a flanking attack as well.

"Luna! I'm all done here!" I heard Varric call out.

When Varric had spoken it didn't even take a second afterwards before I had charged the demons, meeting evil and magic with my blades.

The first one I encountered tried to mutilate me with a whirlwind of claws as it swung its arms at me chaotically and brutally. I dodged a few of the blows before one of its "hands" caught me on the face. Blood rained down my cheeks as pain seared around my right eye and I could no longer see out of it. The demon had scratched across my right eye leaving three trails of pain from its claws.

"You bitch!" I cried out in anger as I severed both of its arms off. "Do that again! I dare you!" I then brought one of my swords down through the demons chest as I spun around to keep my momentum and tore out the demons throat, damn near severing its head from its body like its arms, with the same sword.

The demon fell and evaporated back through the Veil and beyond to its realm. I turned to the other demons only to realize that they had effectively surrounded me. I kicked the one in front of me and knocked it backwards. I then stuck my swords out and spun one-eighty hoping to clip the other two that were on either side of me...which unfortunately didn't work seeing as these demons are quite agile for beings that are newly out of the Fade and jumped, or floated, out of the way before my blades could pierce their flesh.

"Luna get back!" I heard Anders yell.

I quickly sheathed my swords and did a back handspring away from the demons and when my feet hit the ground I dove to my left as I felt a fireball fly past me. I heard a loud crash and as I looked up I saw the demons engulfed in flames and disappearing back to the Fade.

I looked back at Anders and nervously laughed. "I owe you one!" I said with a smile that probably looked hideous considering the fact that I had three huge scratches across my face that made my right eye swell shut.

My smile soon disappeared though as the Veil was ripped asunder once again. I whipped back around to where the demons had been incinerated and saw that the flames where now spinning violently into a vortex. The heat that was expelled from the center of the vortex in a wave outweighed the heat that was now leaping from my necklace as a very powerful demon appeared amongst the chaos of the dancing flames.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" I said. "There is no way our luck is THAT bad!"

"I think you're just cursed Luna," Varric groaned.

"I'm tempted to agree with you," Anders muttered in agreement.

"You can still fight with one eye, right Luna?" Isabela asked as she noticed that my right eye was tightly shut and covered in caked on blood. "I don't want to die because you can't toe the line do to your disadvantage." She tried to make what she said sound selfish, but something told me that she cared a little.

"I can fight with my eyes closed if I have to. Having one eye is just overkill." I scoffed bitterly as I quickly unsheathed my swords again.

The demon didn't move forward. It didn't have to. It's like it knew that just being there, in front of us, was enough to plant the seeds of fear in our minds, and the worst thing to have when facing demons is fear.

"Isabela, Varric, are you all right with fighting the demon?" I asked them as I still had my eye focused on the it. "Are you still unafraid?"

"Yup. I've got your back Luna," Varric replied with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice.

"I...I don't think I can...Luna. Not this time," Isabela stammered. She shifted her weight nervously.

"Then don't fight," Anders butted in, beating me to what needed to be said next. "The worst thing a person can have is fear when fighting demons."

"It's the quickest way to die," I remarked angrily.

I looked back at Varric and Anders and gave them a nod and then turned back to face the demon. _"Why the hell does it have to be a greater rage demon...the normal kind are much easier to kill and aren't as deadly."_

I charged at the rage demon and felt an arrow whiz past my hair in unison to the coldness of an ice spell I also felt as it went around me and to its target. _"Maker I love this life I lead."_


	24. Chapter 24: Boiling Blood

**Chapter 24**

Fire was always the result of every swing of my swords. No matter where I struck the rage demon a mixture of both blood and fire would leap out at me. The heat was unbearable, but I knew I couldn't quit. There was no way that Anders and Varric could defeat this thing on their own.

My breath was coming out in ragged pants as I was constantly forced to dance away from the demon or suffer being scorched head to toe by its flame. Being able to only see out of one eye was not helping me that much in this battle, but thankfully the demon unintentionally left itself open for an attack and I swung viciously at its arm and left it hanging from its shoulder by a thin piece of charred flesh.

I let out a startled hiss as more fire and blood leapt towards me. I tried to throw myself backwards to escape its reach, but with no avail. Hot flames poured across my left arm and caught my leather armor on fire as well as my flesh and caused me to drop one of my swords that I held in that hand.

I back stepped quickly away from it, shaking my arm frantically till I put out the fire. I muttered angry curses under my breath as I retreated, angry at the loss of my sword and the ability to wield that sword.

"Hey you ugly bastard! Over here!"

I heard a loud "thwack" as a dagger suddenly protruded from the demon's right shoulder. The thing howled in pain and spun around to face the person who threw the dagger.

It was Isabela who had thrown it. She had climbed up some wooden scaffolding that was well above the demon's physical reach; unfortunately she must have forgotten that wood and fire don't mix. Now she was drawing the demon's attention to her in an attempt save me, but she was also dooming herself without any knowledge of it.

Varric and Anders must have picked up on how stupid Isabela's plan was as well because they were now attacking the demon with much greater force than before. Anders was casting spirit bolts at it as often as he could. He had used all of his greater spells earlier in the fight and wouldn't be able to use them for a little while longer. Varric kept shooting arrows at it, but despite both of their efforts the thing still kept going towards Isabela with some kind of blind "rage" that made it only able to focus on one thing at a time. That's when Isabela's face twisted in fear. She had just figured out that what she was standing on was highly flammable.

"_Shit...what to do, what to do, what to do..."_ That's when I notice my sword laying on the ground almost untouched excluding the hilt that was a melted. _"If Isabela can draw the demon's attention just by throwing something at the thing...then maybe I can too."_

Without thinking too much into the plan, like Isabela, I hastily threw my remaining sword at the demon. I hit my mark and the sword sank into its back. The demon released an earsplitting and angry cry of pain as it whipped back around to face me again. I made sure that I didn't turn my back to it as I ran to retrieve the sword I had dropped only a few seconds ago while the demon started in my direction once again.

"Anders hit it with and ice spell now!" I yelled as the demon was approaching me with much greater speed than what it had as it was heading towards Isabela.

"But it won't freeze—"

"Just do it!"

Anders complied and an ice spell was swiftly cast at the demon. When the spell reached it, the demon's movements slowed but it didn't freeze over, luckily my plan didn't need the spell to freeze the demon. What I needed the spell to do was extinguish the flames...which it did a marvelous job of.

I lunged at the demon and ran my sword through its throat. The blood that tried to pour out of the wound was cold and almost frozen, but I didn't have the time to gloat over the blow I just landed. I needed to act quickly and land another killing blow on the demon before the ice spell's effects wore off. I raced around the demon to its back and wretched my sword free before driving it back into the demon's body, only this time the sword slid through its neck instead of back.

The heat began to return to the rage demon's body and its movements started to become less hindered. Deciding that now was the time for flight instead of fight I left my swords in the demon and booked it towards my companions.

I whipped around to watch the demon's reaction to its new, unnatural holes in its body as I continued to walk backwards towards my companions— _"friends."_

When I reached them, Varric and Isabela took up position behind me and were far enough to the right and left to see the show. Anders had placed himself in front of me to protect me, I assumed, because I was now weaponless and sounded like I was going to drop dead at any moment.

The demon was now clawing hysterically at the swords sticking out from its neck, in a late reaction, with its remaining arm because the other one had finally fallen off due to all the flailing around it had been doing. This scene played out for a few seconds longer before the rage demon finally dissolved through the Veil and back to the Fade from which it came. The blades that had been lodged in it clanged loudly as they hit the ground, sending out a few sparks here and there as they came in contact with some of the rocks that littered the ground.

Breathing had become increasingly difficult at that point and I was gasping, raggedly for air more desperately than I had been before. I noticed that I was also shaking uncontrollably due to the adrenalin that was still flowing throughout my entire body to supply me with the strength to keep on fighting the demon. My lungs were threatening to jump out of my throat as they tried to get enough air to keep pace with my intensely beating heart that showed no signs of slowing down at the moment but sign more along the line of my heart being about to explode.

I tried to take deeper, less shallow, breaths as I made my way cautiously over to where the demon had disappeared so that I could retrieve my swords and Isabela's dagger. My necklace's burn had subsided but I still remained on guard. One can never be too careful when it comes to things from the Fade.

"Here," I said bluntly as I handed Isabela her dagger.

"Thanks, I owe you one." She might have been referring to me saving her from the demon, or something else. I couldn't tell.

I looked down at my own swords and noticed how badly damaged they were from that fight. The sword that I always carried in my left hand had a chip in the middle of the part you use to hack through people and things along with the melted hilt. The other one wasn't so bad. All it had was a thin scratch that ran from the tip all the way to the hilt.

I walked while forcing myself to sheath my swords with both hands, even though my left arm was screaming in protest with pain, over to the stairs and sat down on the third step from the bottom to catch my breath. Varric, Isabela and Anders walked over and formed a half circle around me. _"I'm surprised that Anders hasn't tried to heal me yet...maybe he's waiting for the opportune moment to do so."_

"That was amazing Luna! You are amazing!" Varric said in admiration.

I pulled out my hidden dagger from my belt and cut the burned and melted leather off of my arm. As I tore it off the extent of the burn wound I acquired from that fight became clear to everyone. My burn covered my entire forearm and it was a bloody red color with horrible looking blisters covering it. Some of my skin was actually peeling and falling off as well.

"Well it certainly felt amazing," I wrinkled my nose as I brought my arm up closer for me to inspect. _"Yup that's pretty awful looking."_ I had somehow managed to prey my other eye open which had been sealed shut with dry blood and could see my arm a lot better than I had for the entire fight. _"Pity that I couldn't see this well DURING the fight...would have made things a whole hell of a lot easier."_

"That's it I'm healing you and your going to shut up and let me do it," Anders declared as he settled down next to me and took my left arm.

"That last part didn't sound kinky at ALL," said I with my voice laced heavily with sarcasm.

Anders let out a snort of amusement, but otherwise said nothing as he set to work on fixing my arm.

I watched him heal my arm with amazement. It never ceased to astound me about how the same amount of mana needed to destroy an entire army of monsters and men could also heal the simplest of wounds.

I noticed that Anders frowned as he saw the scar on my wrist that wrapped around it like a very thick bracelet, but he didn't say anything about it which I was thankful for. Instead he flipped my arm over to make sure he had healed it all.

"Alright Luna, flex your arm so that I can make sure that I healed the skin properly," Anders said gently.

I did as he said and flexed my arm. My muscles rippled underneath my flesh and stretched it a little so that it formed tightly around it.

"Damn Luna, your ripped," Isabela said in a voice edged with laughter.

"Does the skin feel normal? Like it did before I healed it?" Anders ignored what Isabela said grabbing my arm again and examining it once more.

His hand was so warm and strong. It was covered in calluses as well which surprised me. Mages don't usually do anything requiring physical force. They just get their magic to solve everything for them. Anders hands, however, reminded me of Zach's. They were "tough from experience" as Zach once put it for me, yet still gentle and were always soft for those that needed a hand.

"No, it doesn't hurt so much anymore," I replied, jokingly with a wink. Anders was about to open his mouth to clarify what he originally meant, but I cut his words off with my own. "It feels fine Anders, thanks."

"Well I'm not done yet so hold on," he said as he brushed my bangs out of the way to heal the claw marks on my face.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Isabela lean over towards Varric. "That sounds really, really dirty if you think about it," I heard her whispered. Varric chuckled lightly and I stifled my own chuckle and instead let out a "huff" of amusement that could be interpreted as a laugh.

The corners of Anders' mouth rose into a tiny smile from hearing Isabela as he said, "Close your eyes for me please."

I did as he told me to again, and was nearly blinded by the brilliant blue light of his healing magic through my eyelids. The pain from my wounds slowly ebbed until it was finally gone and Anders magic faded.

I opened my eyes and stood up almost instantly regretting it because the room started to spin a little. Anders followed in pursuit and placed his hand firmly on my elbow to hold me up, but it was such an unnoticeable movement that neither Isabela nor Varric saw it.

I gave Anders a short nod in thanks. "Let's go, we've wasted enough time here as it is," I said as I moved towards the corridor that led further into the abandoned mine, and hopefully to Keran.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Varric inquired as he and the others followed behind me.

"Of course I am," I lied, "we better just pray that the rest of the things we run into down here are only walking corpses though. I'm pretty sure none of us can fight another rage demon even with combined efforts."

"Maybe we'll get lucky," Anders said charmingly.

I laughed sarcastically at that. "You keep on believing that if you want to, and I'll keep on believing that I'm cursed."

"You're not cursed, Luna," Varric said, completely contradicting what he had said earlier.

"Yeah," Isabela interrupted, "after all you've got us!" she laughed full heartedly at that, clearly forgetting where she was at the moment.

I had started to walk down the stairs that were at the end of the corridor when I stopped. Something wasn't right.

"Something wrong Luna?" Anders asked.

"Listen," I whispered, "do you hear that?"

"All I hear is the wind," Varric commented in a slightly hushed tone.

"Exactly," I said. "We're in an abandoned mine. How the hell do you get wind in a mine?"

Varric opened his mouth to answer, but he stopped himself when he finally understood what the wind meant.

"I need you and Anders to take care of the skeleton archers," I said calmly and still in a whisper as I slid my banged up swords out of their sheaths.

Isabela let out a loud groan. "That means I have to fight with you on the front lines doesn't it?" she complained.

"Yeah, you owe me for saving your ass back there. It's time you started to pay off that debt," I said charmingly.

"Fine, fine, but if I get hurt I'm blaming you."

"You won't be the only one," I muttered under my breath.

"What did you say?" Isabela asked.

"Prepare yourself!" and with that both Isabela and I ran down to the end of the corridor which led to yet another clearing.

The skeletal corpses that were already lying on the ground started to reanimate in jarring movements. Once they had somehow managed to stand they ran towards Isabela and I on unbalanced legs and in chaotic movements

The fact that they had no conscious thought as to what they were doing coupled with the fact that they were skeletons made it easy for us to kill them all. Really all you had to do was hit them hard enough so that they just fell apart. Skeletons = no biggie in my books now.


	25. Chapter 25: A Fight with Crazy

**Chapter 25**

Our journey through the rest of the mine in search of Keran was only interrupted by a couple of encounters with some lesser shades, demons, and more skeletons that were basically one-hit kill's There was always some sort of background noise while we were fighting and while we weren't. Now, however, was a different story. Everything was silent. Even the things that should make loud crashes as they fell sounded muffled and like they were trying to be quiet._ "Hmmm...well that's certainly interesting."_

"Keep your eyes peeled," Varric said, voicing the same concern that I was having in a hushed voice.

My necklace sent a small flare of heat through my body at that time alerting me to a change in the Fade. _"So they're up ahead huh? Fun, fun. Let's just hope that Keran is alive...and un-possessed."_

"Keran's up ahead you guys, as are the mages that hold him prisoner," I mentioned to them quietly.

"How do you know these kinds of things, Luna?" Varric asked with a puzzled expression.

"Experience," I said giving him a half-assed answer and not caring about it. "Be prepared for anything though because I can't tell you how many or what they've summoned up there."

"So, basically, you're telling us the obvious and what we already know," Varric muttered under his breath. "Wonderful. Hey Luna can you do me a favor and not bring me along the next time you have a job that involves mages or templars, because both groups seem to walk hand in hand and I'm starting to get really tired of them... No offense Anders."

"Hey, I don't blame you," Anders said lightheartedly.

"If I know the job involves either group I won't bring you along," I replied after Anders had said his part.

"Promise?" he asked in a small voice and, jokingly, like a child.

"You have my word."

"That's good enough for me." Varric scoffed, returning to his old self.

"Uh...you two done cause we still have mages and other weird shit to deal with?" Isabela chided in sarcastically.

"Yup, you ready for a fight Isabela?" I said as I thought about unsheathing my swords. _"With the state that those swords are in now I'll probably kill the enemy by suffocation as they roll around laughing at how banged up they are. I'm going to need to get a new pair... that will go down wonderfully with Garrett."_

"Of course I'm ready. I'm always ready for a fight." Isabela's voice drew me from my thoughts and back to the moment.

"You sure?" Anders said jokingly, "You had your tail between your legs when we went against that rage demon a moment ago—"

"That was then, this is now," Isabela interjected almost a little too loudly.

"If you say so," I muttered as I headed down more damn stairs. _"What's with all the fucking stairs in this place?"_

I heard Anders, Varric, and Isabela follow me down as we turned a corner and walked into a wide room that was lit only by some fires in the two back corners. Both Isabela and Varric let out a gasp at what they saw in one of the corners in the front. I was taken aback slightly by the sight as well.

There in the corner was a man suspending in the air by what looked like golden thread that was spiraling around him. My necklace's heat flared up a little more as we drew nearer to the spell holding the man, whose face was covered by his arms, which were frozen like the rest of his body, in the fetal position. _"Of course the blood mages took off his shirt. Do they have any sense of dignity at all?"_

"How wonderful! More vessels for our experiments," said a woman dressed in mage robes with four others dressed similar around her. The woman had faint tattoos on her face and bright white lips with a tint of purple caused by her terrible taste in makeup while those that accompanied her had their faces covered. They had stepped off of the wooden lift that would have been nice to have used when we were coming down.

"Where is Keran," I asked cold tone, making it sound like I hadn't heard what she said at all.

"Perhaps the demons will find one of you suitable," the woman continued on, removing all doubt from my mind that she was crazy.

"Always the demon thing! Can't you people say "no"?" Anders interrupted while sounding extremely annoyed.

"I am not some helpless whelp that ran to the demons for help!" the crazy blood mage snapped. "I sought them out and embraced them!"

"I'll ask one more time. Where is Keran, and what are you doing with the templars?" I said much more forceful and angry than before.

The blood mage ignored my question once more, which tipped me over the boiling point and I was immediately pissed at her and I vowed to personally kill her before or after we found out where Keran is.

"If we can get a few more templars to fall to the demons we can seed chaos in their ranks," she said as she started to tell us her entire plan like an idiot. "How many abominations can they discover amongst their own before it drives the Knight-Commander crazy?" She raised her hands to the ceiling as if looking for a sign that she was doing the right thing._ "Sweet Maker she's beyond insane and her being a mage makes it that much worse!"_

"You worse than a monster," I snarled at her menacingly. "Good bye!"

Her men formed around her as she grabbed her staff from her back and yelled, "Kill the vessels only if you must!"

A flare from my necklace told me that the blood mages had already summoned demons and shades that were now about to come up from behind us. They also summoned a couple of them that were in front of us but they were only shades and didn't concern me too much. The blood mages were my main target at the moment.

"Isabela, Varric, target the things that are behind us!" I yelled over my shoulder.

I grabbed the hilts of my swords as I lunged at the first mage in front of me, bringing my left sword up in a big arc across his chest. Blood sprayed from the injury I inflected as the mage fell to the ground and bled out quickly. That left three blood mages and their leader the crazy blood mage woman. I wasn't counting the shades and demons though.

The crazed woman and two of her follows erected magical barriers that immobilized them, but made them invincible to any kind of attack. _"Cowards."_ I moved towards the other mage that was trying to position himself as close to the shades as he could in an attempt to scare me off. Before I could do anything, however, a fireball erupted in the middle of the shades and the mage, incinerating them all.

"Their barriers should be running out of juice soon!" I heard the voice of Anders call as he turned his attention to another enemy.

"Anders!" I heard Varric yell for assistance.

I glanced over my shoulders and saw that nearly all the shades and demons were dead and that a desire demon was now amongst them. _"Shit...that crazed blood mage is more important along with her followers though...Kill the source, shorten the battle...a little Grey Warden philosophy Alastair once told me. Now that I think about it though...it could be templar philosophy as well."_

"Destructive forces of nature coming right up!" I heard Anders cry as yet another loud crash came from behind me caused by magic.

By that time the barriers of the remaining blood mages had faded and they were getting ready to cast another spell. I had to move quickly before they could get the right movements and speak the right words for a spell.

I threw my "good" sword at the blood mage on the right and watched it strike him in the chest causing blood shoot out of the wound and into the air. I then quickly reached into the leather pouch that was on attached to my right leg by multiple leather straps and grabbed a flask of liquid that creates a smoke that burns the eyes and mouth. Hoping that my aim, and luck, would hold true I threw the flask as hard as I could at the remaining blood mages. I couldn't tell by sight if I hit my mark or not though because a thick smoke swiftly covered the area, hiding everyone on either side and in it. The only way that I could tell it worked on one of the mages was that I heard him coughing.

I switched my remaining sword to my right hand while I took in a deep breath and held it. I then charged into the concealing smoke and relied on my hearing to get the position of the mages. I could only locate one, however, and my sword tasted the blood of his throat swiftly and silently before he even knew I was there. Having no luck finding the crazy female mage though I ran onto the other side of the smoke figuring that's where she most likely retreated.

As I emerged from the smoke I was nearly decapitated by the blade part of the crazed blood mage's staff. I managed to raise my sword in a block and thwarted her attempt to kill me as our blades met and we tried to force the other one backwards or onto their knees. My sword, however, could no longer take the stress and force of the mage's staff and shattered in half at the point where it had already been chipped, causing the crazed blood mage's staff to slide to the left of me, just barely missing my head. The part of my sword that broke off flew past me and clipped my left shoulder, slicing it open.

I didn't notice the injury as I dropped my broken sword and reached for the same blade I killed Idunna with. Then I lunged at her. The blood mage's eyes opened wide in fear for a split second before they became lifeless when I rammed the blade into her skull. While her body fell to the ground I ripped my blade out of her skull and turned around to face the remaining shades and demons that might not have been killed yet.

The smoke that I had caused started to lift and I was able to see Anders kill the last two shades while Isabela and Varric looked like they were making sure the desire demon was well and truly dead. They both then looked up at me and Anders turned to face me. I gave them a nod to signify that it was over.

An intense flare of heat surged through my body before it disappeared in almost the same instant it had happened. I heard thud as something hit the ground. When I looked over in the direction the noise had come from I saw that the man that had been imprisoned was now on the ground. The spell that had been holding him had finally disappeared because the mage who had cast it was now no longer one of the living._ "Well at least we don't have to worry about trying to get rid of that spell now."_

The man, shakily, got to his feet. "Is it over?" he asked.

"Please tell me you're Keran," I said a little impatiently.

"Yes, that's my name." He looked around the room and saw the dead mages. "Oh thank the Maker. I thought He had abandoned me," Keran said as he looked back at me.

"You should probably thank your sister first," I said, "she's the one that asked me to find you."

"Are we sure it's really him though? It could it be Keran plus one. A very nasty plus one at that." Varric interrupted in a hushed voice that Keran didn't hear, thankfully.

I turned my head slightly towards Anders. "Can you tell if Keran has...an extra passenger?"

"Well, there is one sure way..." he said, letting his voice trail off as he walked towards Keran. My necklace let a little burst of heat into my body as Anders used magic. We were able to see what Anders was doing, and it looked like he sent a magic force through Keran's body.

Keran staggered back, his eyes open wide in surprise. "Hey, wha-what was that all about!"

Anders turned back to us, "If there was a demon in there it would have defended itself. Looks like he's clear." With that said Anders made his way back to standing behind me. _"Why is it that no matter where I go I'm always crowned the leader?"_

"You can leave now Keran. You've been through enough," I said, making my tone soft and showing him some compassion.

"Please, don't tell the templars...I don't know what they'd do," Keran said fearfully before running out of the tunnels via the wooden lift I had intended to use.

"Great...even after all that we still don't catch a break and now have to walk all the way back to Darktown again using the long route," Isabela said once Keran was gone, expressing her displeasure that was similar to my own. "You really are cursed Luna."

I ignored her remark and went to retrieve my one sword out of the mages chest. Once I had ripped it free I was able to locate the hilt part of my broken sword but not the blade part of it. _"Damn shoulder wound. It finally stopped bleeding, but it still hurts like a fucking bitch though. I'll have to take care of it when I get back to the hovel. Anders has patched me up enough for today."_ I turned around and continued to look for the remainder of my sword.

My friends were either leaning against a wall or sitting on the stairs taking a break before we started the long trek back to Darktown. I noticed this out of the corner of my eye and wondered how much time had passed since we entered the mine. _"At least we don't have to worry about being attacked or ambushed...Ugh...I should probably go back to the Gallows in the morning and explain what happened down here to Cullen...lovely..."_ I was about to give up on my search for the broken blade when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Anders asked innocently as he handed me a broken shard of metal that had been my sword.

I let out a very heavy, very loud sigh, "Yup," I said, disappointed. I grabbed the shard and held it next to the end it should attach to on the hilt. There was no way in hell that it would be able to get forged back together again. I then unlatched one of the sheaths on my back and slid the broken pieces into it._ "Figures..."_

"I didn't think you were the type to cry over broken swords Luna," Isabela joked.

"Shut up Isabela. These were a gift from some very good friends of mine."

"Well then why don't you explain what happened to the swords to your friends the next time you talk to them? I'm sure that if they're as good of friends as you say they are that they'll understand," Isabela continued. _"I really shouldn't pick fights with her...or let the things she says get to me."_

"Unless you know of any good necromancers," I said as I slowly walked in the direction that led out of the mine, "I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to talk to them anytime soon. Well, unless that death wish Garrett says I've got looming over my head comes a little earlier than expected."

"Oh," she said.

"I don't know about you guys, but I sure am sick and tired of the mine. I think we should get out of here." Varric said quickly afterwards so that an awkward silence didn't creep up on us.

"I second that notion," Anders said enthusiastically while starting to head in the same direction I was going.

Just then, we heard a loud crash and all of us turned around expecting another enemy. What had happened though was that the wooden lift had been sent back down and crashed on the ground. Luckily it didn't break and was still able to be used.

"Thank the Maker," Isabela sighed as she got up and walked towards it.

"Yeah, now we don't have to walk," Varric added.

As the two of them walked towards the lift Anders walked next to me, matching my pace as I walked much more slowly in the same direction. _"Maybe I don't need to buy a new pair of swords...I guess I can use the ones that I got at Ostagar. They were certainly built to last, used by one of the Grey Wardens during the Fourth Blight if I recall correctly. At least that's what Duncan told me when he gave them to me after I was made commander."_

"When you talk to Ser Cullen...maybe downplay the blood magic angle," Anders mentioned to me. "We don't need the templars cracking down harder."

"Even if I do, which I was already planning on doing, I highly doubt that will stop them from being ignorant bastards and blaming every mage for the acts of one," I replied in a cool, calm voice.

"There's at least a small chance that they won't do that."

"If you can even call it that," I said with a sigh.

"Hey, lovebirds, hurry up or we'll leave you behind," Isabela called.

"We are not lovebirds," Anders said lightheartedly with a smirk.

"Yeah and if you leave us behind I know of some wonderful torture methods I need to practice using." I commented with a smile. "Hey Isabela, you have anything planned tomorrow?"

"Nope, nothing as long as your brother doesn't ask me to do anything. Why?"

"I was wondering if I would have a drinking buddy tomorrow that's all," I lied as Anders and I both got on the lift. _"I still have to tell her about the job I signed her up for."_

"I'm always willing to have a drink with a friend," she said.

Varric activated the mechanism on the lift and we slowly rose up out of the mine. I was thankful that I would be able to have a few hours rest before I dealt with the templars again, and that the air wouldn't be so stuffy anymore. _"So far I've had nothing but jobs that involve doing things at night. I think I'm starting to become a night owl."_

* * *

><p><strong>Hey for all of you that read this story I could use your help. I can't give you any context to this question because it might spoil something, but out of the three Fade spirits I list below, which do you like (or like the idea of) more?<br>They are: Valor, Honor, or Fortitude.  
>If you could leave your answer in a reviewcomment thingy I would greatly appreciate it.  
>Thanks for reading and reviewing :)<strong>


	26. Chapter 26: Of Mages and Templars

**Chapter 26**

It was a chilly walk to the docks that morning. The air was edged with frost and the cold of winter, yet there was not snow and I wasn't entirely sure that was a good thing or a bad thing.. The morning dew had frozen, making everything shimmer in the sunlight as well as caste reflections of light on the sea salt stained walls. It was quite beautiful and I would have taken notice to it had I not been preoccupied with thoughts about what was going to be said to the templars once I got to the Gallows. _"Templars, mages, and demons...I find myself liking demons more than the other two just because I can kill them and get away with it...Dealing with templars and mages is a pain in the ass. Thank the Maker my memories didn't bother me last night or else I might be in more of a bad mood than usual."_

"Need to get to the Gallows miss?" one of the boat captains asked me.

"As a matter of fact I do."

"Well then step right this way and I'll get you there shortly," the captain said, motioning for me to follow him on board his boat which I did, but I followed him at a slow pace, trying to take as long of a time as possible to get to the Gallows.

Once I was on board the captain hoisted the sail up and went about to untie the boat from the docks. He started to mumble curses under his breath when he had difficulty getting one of the ropes off of the dock. After a little while he finally got it off and pulled up the anchor before running back to the wheel so that we didn't crash into anything. _"Normally you have a few extra men to help you on a boat...he must like doing things himself, or is an idiot._

It was slow sailing at first, but once we got a fair distance away from the docks the wind was no longer blocked by anything and it carried us along the waves swiftly. We weren't sailing at the fastest pace we could go, but we were heading in the right direction which was good enough for me.

As one of the wave crashed over the front of the boat, splashing me with water I instantly regretted wearing my sleeveless clothes. I tried to pull myself in closer to the center of my body to conserve heat and to make myself a smaller target for the unforgiving waves.

The armor that I wore yesterday had been trashed because of blood, burns, and cuts in it, so I was forced to wear my clothes that were perfect for battling in the Ferelden summer heat. There was no leather in these clothes and it only consisted of many layers of cloth overlaying one another tightly against my body. It was very flattering for something you wear into battle my friend once told me. I had to agree with her on that seeing as the "shirt" part of it was a v-neck and allowed me to look good _modestly_. I was also wearing tight pants as well that were tucked into my black boots that had an extreme amount of buckles on them. The thick belt that I always wore, including today, had been spared from any damage that could have been caused by yesterday's activities and now rested on my waist with a dagger and leather pouch fastened to it.

Everything I wore today was black; everything I ever wore was always black with the only exception being Lothering before I joined the army. (In case you couldn't follow what I wrote, because I had difficulty and I'm the author, here's what she's wearing said in modern terms: a black v-neck tank top that looks like a strip of black cloth wrapped around her torso and chest, she is wearing tight black leather skinny jeans, and she is wearing big black gothic boots that have a lot of buckles on them.)

Now as the wind and water stung my skin with an icy cold fierceness that showed no mercy I cursed myself for what I decided to wear today. Even though what I wore was still durable enough to be worn into battle they were NOT good at keeping the cold at bay.

After a few minutes of sailing, trying to stay warm, and enjoying the abundance of air that didn't smell funny, unlike what you breathed in Kirkwall, I finally reached up and undid my hair, letting stream behind me in the wind. I had hoped that in letting it down would keep my neck warm, but all I had done was allow it to be blown around in the wind more chaotically than before.

I let out a sigh in defeat over my battle to stay warm and pondered what the rest of today was going to be like. _"Once I deal with the templars I should probably tell Isabela about the job I already informed two other people she was going to help on...which means that there'll be a lot of complaining on her part. Then, I am going to be doing nothing for the rest of the day till tonight. I guess I could see if Garrett needs anything...even though the idea of working with that bastard is enough to make me vomit most days."_

"We're pulling into the Gallows miss," the boat captain said, interrupting my thoughts and drawing me back to where I was and what I soon would be dealing with.

"Thank you. Do me a favor and stay here," I said, "I'll be needing a way back to Kirkwall once my business is done here."

"Very well, miss, as long as it don't take too long."

"My business is with templars and we know how they love to make things worse and more exaggerated than they truly are." I mumbled to myself.

"You say something?"

"No," I responded and rose to my feet slowly, matching the rocking of the boat against the waves to keep my balance.

As we sailed closer and closer to the docks the captain dropped the sail. Our speed decreased greatly and we pulled steadily into the docks. At first I thought that we would make it without hitting anything, but even with our speed decreased the boat still hit the landing area of the Gallows.

When we hit the stone in front of us I reached out and tried to brace myself with some of the rigging that was on my left and agitated the wound on my shoulder I had received yesterday. I let out a hiss in annoyance as I felt the wound open up and blood start to flow into the bandage that I had wrapped around it. _"Damn it! Now I have to deal with that when I get back as well."_

"Sorry about that, miss. The waves pushed us along further than I expected," the captain said, trying to cover the fact that he screwed up.

"That's no problem," I walked over to the starboard side of the boat and jumped off onto the docks. "Please stay here, I'll be back shortly."

"I already said I would, miss, and I'm a man of my word."

"It's rare to find any of those in this place," I muttered under my breath while walking to the courtyard of the Gallows where I hoped Cullen would be.

As I reached the top of the stairs I was thankful to see both Keran and Cullen standing over by the pillars on the right. Even Keran's sister, Macha, was there and I'm pretty sure that wasn't a good thing. _"If she finds out what happened she might not want anything to do with her brother."_

I started to approach them just as Macha hugged her brother. Both of them didn't notice me as I walked steadily towards them. Cullen, on the other hand, saw me coming and gave me a nod in greeting._ "Time to get down to business."_

"Blood mages have infiltrated your ranks. They've been implanting your recruits with demons."

"Sweet blood of Andraste!" Cullen exclaimed.

"D-Demons? Did you say something about the recruits and demons?" That's when I noticed Macha backing away from Keran a little with an innocent and terrified look on her face. She had, unfortunately, heard what I said to Cullen.

"I didn't want to tell you, Macha," Keran said, trying to reassure her. "The...they were horrible. Those mages see the rest of us as ants to be crushed." He was trying so hard to get rid of his sister's fear, to get her to trust him again. _"And because of those mages you are now going to blame all of them. I've seen it before and it's pathetic! You cannot condemn all for the acts of one!" _My anger rose a little with the way Keran was explaining things to Macha.

Keran then turned back to me, "They won't stop until they've destroyed the Chantry," he continued, "and the templars forever."

"_Would the destruction of the templars be such a bad thing? It's your own bloody fault anyways...but you're too arrogant to see it."_ I crossed my arms and regretted coming here. I knew that they expected me to voice my own opinion about mages now because Keran had already done so. The fact that they expected me to side with them also made me more than a little pissed off...and a little more willing to tell them my opinion, which was the fierce opposite of theirs.

"Mages have been systematically abused by the templars for a thousand years," I said once Keran had finished his little speech.

"How can you say that after what you've seen?" Cullen interrupted.

"How can I not!" I replied with my anger rising more and starting to show in my voice. "The templars treat the mages like prisoners and lock them up. You say that their magic is a gift, yet you take away their freedom in punishment. They way you treat mages makes them feel like their magic is a curse," Cullen was taken aback and I seized the moment. "You templars blame all the mages for the acts of one, just as you are doing now! That woman and her followers were crazy, but magic didn't make them that way—"

"Yes, but they were more of a danger because they had magic!" Cullen roared, trying to defend the templars.

"If you give any "normal" group of crazy people swords or any other type of weapons they'll hurt others and themselves just the same!" I bit back bitterly. This got Cullen to keep quiet for a moment and allowed me to get back to what I was originally trying to get at.

"Do you want to know what's worse about the whole mage-templar situation?" I asked, but never gave them time to answer. "It's the fact that you templars don't realize that when you crack down on the mages harder and harder for small little crimes and threaten them with tranquility that you are actually causing them to fight back! If you keep kicking a dog it WILL fear you, but eventually the damn thing will get fed up with all the shit you put it through and bite your leg off! The same is with the mages. If you keep treating them the way you do, you might soon find yourselves with another Imperium. "

"You say these things like they're normal people," Cullen said. "Mages are not like you and me and therefore cannot be treated like normal people."

"Surly that's a little harsh," Macha said, trying to decrease the tension that I had filled the air with.

"It is," I told her before Cullen could say anything. "So tell me Ser Cullen, despite them having the gift of magic, why else can't they be treated like us "normal" people?"

"It is because they are weapons," He answered, matching my own bitter tone. "They have the power to light a city of fire in a fit of pique."

"Mages are humans...and elves...just like the rest of us despite your refusal to believe so." I retorted with narrowed eyes.

"Many might go their whole lives thinking that." That's when Cullen started to back off a little. "But if even one in ten falls to the lure of blood magic, they could destroy this world."

"That is a statistic you templars love to use and exaggerate with, and the only reason others think that mages are actual people their entire lives is because they are never proven otherwise," I said, claiming victory for that argument.

Cullen ignored what I said and turned to Keran, "For now, Keran, unless it is proven you are free of demons, I must strip you of your commission immediately."

"No! You can't really think that! Keran's fine. He's safe," Macha pleaded frantically as she moved in front of her brother, defending him.

"Please, ser, I tried to resist. I never took anything they offered," Keran added. "I-I need this position or my sister can't eat. I've been training for five years!"

Cullen turned back to me to see what I had to add. _"So I just completely owned you in that last argument and now you turn to me for help? Pathetic!"_

"We conducted tests on Keran when we rescued him and killed all the blood mages. He's not possessed and he can stay in the Order." I said with a loud sigh at the end.

"I hesitate to ask what methods you used that you are so certain," Cullen replied. I let out a sharp breath in response to the minuscule joke that was in there. "Still you have done much for us by stopping those blood mages. I will heed your request, even though your judgment on the reality of what needs to be done with mages is quite impaired it seems."

"I find myself in a position where I can say the exact same thing," I replied flatly, allowing my anger to be released, like steam from a kettle and not to do any more damage or be used anymore.

"Indeed," Cullen responded and showed me that even though we totally disagree with each other, that he still has respect for me. I felt honored...a little...maybe. "If Keran has shown no sign of demonic possession in ten years' time, he'll become eligible for full knighthood."

"Thank you, serah. Again," Macha said as she walked towards me slightly, "But without a full knighthood, Keran's pay is so small... I don't know if I can reward you as you deserve—"

"I will handle that, miss," Cullen interrupted. "You have done the Order a great service. We will not forget it." With that said Cullen dropped a coin purse in my hand and all three of them gave me one last nod in thanks before walking away.

I let out a little hum of amusement as I looked inside the coin purse and saw that Cullen had given me three sovereigns for the job. I hastily put the coin purse in the leather pouch fastened to my belt so that no one could tell I carried a great amount of money. Though there weren't many people in the Gallows this early in the morning quickly stashing your money someplace on your person that was hard to get to was an old habit I was willing to entertain seeing as I didn't have my swords on me at the moment and didn't want to have to fight off any thieves with only a dagger. Not that it would be difficult to do so...it's just that I didn't feel like putting in the effort required.

With my job fully completed I made my way swiftly back to the docks, leaving the templars and mages in the distance. Once we were out of the docks and on our way back to the city, a sense of uneasiness that I didn't notice I was feeling until then vanished when I no longer found myself in the gaze of the disturbing Tevinter statues that stood in a silent testimony stating that none were ever welcome in the Gallows...and that none who enter there should ever be allowed to leave.


	27. Chapter 27: Earrings and a Rabbit

**Chapter 27**

"Say I was to tell you that I volunteered your aid on a job without telling you. What would your reaction be?" I said, finally telling Isabela about the job tonight. I did my best to look "natural" as I took a swig from my drink.

"I would probably tell you that you're a slave driver and refuse to go...unless you let me do something." Isabela replied. "What's the job?"

"Killing bandits tonight, and it depends on what this "something" is. No, I am not sleeping with you." I finished the last of my drink and set it down on the counter behind me.

The Hanged Man wasn't that full at the moment. Of course that was probably because it wasn't even close to noon yet. There was only a slight murmur of voices to be heard which I was thankful for. Loud taverns weren't as fun unless you were drunk and I didn't plan on getting drunk today...maybe tomorrow if I didn't have to do anything. _"Maybe I can convince Anders to join me. That way Isabela and I won't be alone in the shit-faced-drunk classification that day."_

"Damn, looks like I have to do the other "something,"" Isabela joked.

"You still haven't told me what that is yet, Izz."

"Awww, is that what you're going to call me now?" Isabela made the best puppy dog face I have ever seen, causing me to laugh. "And you are going to let me pierce your ears."

"What!"

"You heard me, Luna. You are getting your ears pierced," she repeated, flashing me an irresistible smile.

"Fine," I groaned, "but no more than three in each ear. Understand?"

"Good. I wasn't going to let you get away with only having one or two," Isabela chuckled lightly before grabbing my hand and leading me to the stairs. "We should probably do this in Varric's room. He has the equipment anyway."

I groaned again, but said nothing and let Isabela drag me upstairs. _"Why did I agree again?"_

"Hey Varric, Luna agreed to let me pierce her ears!" Isabela exclaimed cheerfully as we entered his room. "So, I kind of need to borrow the stuff to do it."

Varric chuckled slightly and glanced in my direction with a sympathetic look. "What did she do to earn that kind of punishment?" he asked as he rummaged through some of his drawers.

"She told people that I'd help her on a job without asking me."

"Sounds like you screwed up, Luna," Varric scoffed as he finally found what he was looking for and pulled out a sharp needle.

"Tell me about it," I moaned.

Isabela had by then had grabbed a stool and set it in front of a mirror. "Sit," she ordered.

I obliged, regretfully, as Varric handed Isabela the needle and started to head out the door. "I'll go grab a lemon from the bar. Don't even think about shanking her in the ear with that needle until I get back."

"Damn," Isabela laughed.

I turned and looked up at her. "If you're going to be putting the holes in my ears then I get to decide what and where."

"Fine, fine," she said as she held her hands up.

"I want two hoops on the top," I told her in a firm voice, "and a stud on the bottom for both ears. In return you'll help me with this job tonight and stop complaining about it in return. Sound reasonable?"

"You're pushing it with the "no complaining" part," she replied with a smile, "but I guess it does."

"Alright, Luna, you ready to have earrings?" Varric asked as he entered the room with a couple of lemons in his hands.

"No, but I don't have a choice in the matter so let's just get it over with." I sighed.

"Just hold still and it won't hurt as much," Isabela said while she leaned in with the needle positioned by my ear, ready to go through it.

* * *

><p>"Are my ears supposed to be this swollen?" I asked nervously as I looked at my ears in the mirror. Both of them now brandished two silver hoops on the top and a silver stud on the bottom. The earrings didn't look as bad as I had thought they would.<p>

"Yes," Isabela replied.

"Are they supposed to be this sore?"

"Andraste's ass, Luna! Suck it up already!" Isabela cried out in a mock frustration. "You suffered worse yesterday when we were saving that templar."

"That's beside the point," I commented in a light hearted tone.

"Still, you should probably go down and see Blondie to make sure they don't get infected," Varric added. "Might want to have him look at that shoulder of yours too."

"Huh? Oh, that. Damn, I keep forgetting about it. I'll take care of it when I go to Gamlen's and retrieve my swords. It'd be suicide to walk anywhere near Darktown without proper weapons," I was still studying my ears in the mirror. Isabela hadn't really convinced me that they were truly alright.

"If only you could teach Kitten about the dangers of Darktown," Isabela laughed.

"Kitten?" I asked.

"Oh that's what I call Merill now. She as cute as a kitten, don't you think?"

"Yes, because you know all cute little kitty cats practice blood magic once they finished are lapping up milk and being petted by people," I replied a little too sourly.

"You and Anders take things like that way too seriously sometimes you know," Isabela said with a frown.

"Yeah, I know. Being serious every now and then is how I've managed to stay alive, Izz," I responded as I backed away from the mirror. "Anyways, thanks for the earrings...I think. I'll see you in Hightown marketplace tonight, right?"

Isabela gave me a thumbs up and a wink, "Yep!"

I walked down the stairs and dodged a couple of early morning drunks while I made my way out of the Hanged Man. Clean air rushed into my lungs and cleared out the smell of piss and vomit that always tainted the air in that tavern. I breathed in deeply, savoring the lack of smells before heading to Gamlen's hovel.

When I finally opened the door to the hovel, my heart sank and the good mood I had been in immediately vanished as I saw Garrett was still home. I calmly walked to my room, trying to stay unnoticed and avoid talking to him because the atmosphere around him didn't exactly seem to be resonating happiness.

I had no such luck though and Garrett blocked my path as soon as I started walking away from him.

"Where the hell have you been?" He growled at me as he glared down at me. _"Maker I hate being so short! Having to look up at someone doesn't make you look intimidating at all!"_

"I was out getting paid for a job I completed." I said calmly, actually trying not to start a fight with him for once in my life.

"Oh? Did that job involve you whoring yourself out to that abomination? I wouldn't put it past you." Maker knows I've never tried to hit anyone harder.

My fist met his jaw with more force than I thought I could muster in the short distance between us. Garrett hadn't expected me to hit him and staggered backwards, nearly falling, while he cursed at me under his breath. His eyes betrayed his rage as he quickly tried to get even by casting a spirit bolt in my direction.

I barely managed to duck down beneath it as the magic flew only inches above my head. As soon as I heard the spirit bolt crash on the wall behind me I grabbed my dagger sheathed on my belt and rushed Garrett before he had another chance to retaliate against me.

Garrett still hadn't managed to catch his balance from the first blow I landed on him by the time I had pushed him against the wall and held my dagger to his throat. The rage that had been revealed in his eyes vanished and was replaced with fear. I put more force behind the dagger and was stopped only when I saw a slight trickle of blood roll lazily down his throat.

"Say something like that about me again," I roared menacingly, "and next time I WILL fuck you up." I removed the dagger from his throat and let him crash to the floor.

As I entered my room I moved towards a wooden chest which held some of the things I had been able to take with me from Ferelden. I ran my fingers over the wooden lid before I opened it and retrieved the swords Duncan had given me at Ostagar from it. I also pulled my black cloak out and donned both it and my swords before walking out of the room.

Garrett still lay on the floor and as I passed he spat on my feet and glowered at me with nothing but pure hatred marking his face. I was tempted to kick him while he was down, but decided against it. Instead I just fixed him with a cold stare as I calmly pulled the hood of my cloak over my face, hiding it in shadows.

I glanced up and saw Mother standing in the doorway to her room. She was staring at me and then looked back down at Garrett. _"There's a lecture coming from her soon, isn't there? Or perhaps she'll just yell at me."_

"You deserved that, Garrett," she commented coolly. Garrett's mouth dropped open and I was just as shocked. She never sides with me. "Your sister has more honor than those whores you have sex with at the Blooming Rose. Not to mention, she is obviously the type of woman that would only give herself to a person that she knows she loves. That's something that you should learn to do as well."

Garrett looked down ashamedly, but said nothing. Mother looked back at me and gave me a small nod.

"Have a good day, my dear."

"You too, Mother," was all I could muster myself to say at the moment. I was too shocked to process anything other than what she had said. _"She just defended me...and showed me affection. Why would she do that now? Why at all?"_

I forced myself not to dwell on it as I walked to Darktown. Being distracted in such a place is...unhealthy.

* * *

><p>When I found myself in front of Anders' clinic I was thankful that I had been able to keep my wits about me the entire time and not end up dead. As I walked into the clinic I noticed a little girl sitting on one of the wooden cots looking nervously at a woman whom Anders was healing. The little girl had dark black hair, much like my own, and carried a little stuffed rabbit under her arm. The woman I guessed was her mother, and me being a big softie when it comes to little girls, I decided to go over and try to comfort her.<p>

As I approached her I removed the hood of my cloak and pushed it past my shoulders. The little girl glanced up at me, following me with her eyes as I knelt down in front of her so that I was her height and didn't look so scary.

"Hey," I said in a soft, kind voice.

"Hi," the little girl responded hoarsely.

"My name is Luna. What's yours?"

"Alice."

"Well, Alice, it's a pleasure to meet you," I stuck out my hand and she took it. I shook her hand firmly in greeting but Alice didn't let go. I cocked my head to the side and gave her a big smile, trying to get her to lighten up a little. I was rewarded for my efforts when a small smile teased her lips and her eyes brightened some.

Still holding her hand I moved so that I was sitting next to her. _"Anders is still healing her mother. That must have been a nasty wound."_

"Who's your friend there?" I asked sweetly, still smiling. Only this time, I was smiling down at her.

She looked up at me with big, beautiful emerald eyes that were tinged red and glazed with, and from, her tears.

"His name's Rabbit. My papa gave him to me when we were back in Ferelden," Alice answered innocently.

"Oh, what a lovely gift," I said and finally got Alice to smile.

"Mmhmm," she hummed as she started to swing her legs back and forth. "You're really nice, Luna."

"Why thank you. You're really nice too!" she looked up at me and beamed from the praise I had just given her. She squeezed my hand a little and my smile softened a little. _"She's so skinny...I guess I can afford to give her a few silver."_

"Hey, Alice, do you want to see a magic trick?" I said as I stood back up and knelt in front of her once more.

"Yeah!" she said enthusiastically.

I reached into my coin purse and grabbed three silver, _"I'll give her mother more when Anders is done healing her,"_ and then placed them in between my fingers. I then proceeded to move my hands chaotically, mystically to the little girl, around before I moved the hand that didn't have the coins in front, grabbed them, and hid them in my palm. Alice giggled in wonder as I showed her that the coins were "magically" gone.

"Where did they go?" I asked her with a smile. She just shook her head and continued to laugh.

I reached behind her ear and made it look like all of the coins had been hiding in her ear. Alice gasped before clapping at my little "magic" trick. I gingerly took her hand in mine and held it open so that I could drop the coins into her hand.

The look on her face when she realized the coins were in her hands seemed to make the whole room brighten up. She looked at me with nothing but pure amazement covering her face.

"That's for being such a good participant," I said.

I stood up and moved over to the side just in time to see Alice's mother get up off of the cot she had been laying on. Alice jumped off of her cot and stumbled a bit before running over to her mother.

"Mama, Mama, Mama! Look at what Luna found in my ear!" She exclaimed in excitement as she came to stand in front of her mother.

Anders came up next to the woman and gave me a puzzled look. I shrugged and winked in an answer to his unspoken question. His response was to have a faint smile trace his lips and to shake his head.

"Oh sweetie, that's so very interesting. But you should probably give them back—" Alice's mother started to say.

"But she said that I could keep them for being a good parsapant—"

"Participant," I whispered behind her.

"Participant in her magic trick!"

Alice's mother looked up from her daughter and at me. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I wouldn't have been able to find the coins again without her help," I said looking down at Alice and winking. Alice giggled again and as I looked up I noticed that it appeared Anders was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing.

"Thank you messere," Alice's mother said.

I gave her a nod and felt something in my hand. That's when I saw that Alice had taken a hold of my hand once more. I knelt down on my knees and squeezed her hand a little.

"Will I see you again?" she asked innocently as she bit her thumb.

"Maybe."

"No maybes," she said forcefully, yet still sounding cute and innocent. "Promise me that I'll see you again."

I glanced up at her mother and she nodded. I then looked Alice in the eye. "I promise," I said and smiled at her.

She gave me a huge smile and a big hug before returning to her mother's side. Then, as both her and her mother passed me on their way out, I slipped more money in the mother's hand. She didn't stop, but she did look over her shoulder and mouthed "thank you."

Once they were out of the clinic's doors a man with a long sword sheathed on his back stepped forward and took the mothers hand in his own. Both she and Alice must know the man and I no longer felt too worried about their safety.

As the family walked towards Darktown's "exit" I heard the words "Papa" and "magic trick" come from Alice. A smile touched my lips. _"She's such a lovely girl. She doesn't have a care in the world for what's wrong in the world around her and she is easily amused by the little things...Someday I hope that I have a little girl just like her...I might even give her a mangy little rabbit too."_ My smile broadened as I thought about that silly rabbit of Alice's.


	28. Chapter 28: Irony or Justice

**Chapter 28**

"I got the notion that you didn't like children from when we first met," Anders said as he stood next to me.

"What made you think that?" I asked.

""I'm going to have to refuse anything that involves babysitting children or animals due to...some bad experiences in the past,"" he said in a stern and over-acted voice, trying to make it sound like me and purposefully failing at it, "is what I recall you saying when I told you I needed a favor."

"I do not sound like that," I replied with a smile. "And perhaps I should have said 'babysitting boy children' instead. Obnoxious little brats," I added, "they should all be drowned at six. Little girls on the other hand..."

"I am deeply offended, Luna," Anders joked. "You are a cruel, cruel person."

"Says the guy who watched me make a friend of a little girl," I laughed.

"Hmmm, point taken. So what brings you here? Need any help killing things soon?"

"Though I may be going out tonight to kill bandits, no I don't need your help with killing things."

"Why am I sensing there's a "but" coming?" Anders said with a smirk.

"But I do need you to check on something for me," I returned his smirk with a smile of my own and carefully pulled my hair up into a ponytail behind me, using some string to keep it in place. Anders' smirk turned into to a genuine smile of amusement when he saw the earrings.

"Can you make sure they aren't infected and help keep them from getting infected?"

"Certainly, but for a price. You have to tell me the story behind why you have earrings."

Anders motioned for me to sit down on one of the cots. I did so and he moved behind me. I felt a slight tingling in my ears and my necklace emanated a small aura of heat as Anders...did something to my ears. I didn't know if what he was doing could be classified as healing.

"I signed Izz up for a job without telling her and the earrings are her way of revenge," I sighed. "Course sticking a needle into my ears six times does sound like a good way to get even now that I think about it..."

"Isabela's always been like that," Anders said lightly. "Only does something for someone else as long as they return the favor."

"At least she's not as sour and dour as Aveline...you have met Aveline, right?" I said jokingly before drifting back towards a more serious tone.

"Yeah, I met her when Garrett brought me along on a job of his. I've also seen her at night every now on then when she's on duty." Anders then let out a breath of annoyance before saying, "She even had the gall to come down here and ask me for information on mages, claiming that she needed to know because she was a guard and was the "first to respond to trouble."" Our friendly banter immediately turned bitter as soon as we brought up Aveline. It was mostly my fault too.

"She's one of the people that think justice is only real as long as it fits the parameters of the "righteous" laws. Her type believe that they are the only ones that can bring justice to the world because they were appointed to do so, yet they are always limited to how far their "justice" can go by the laws they enforce and the people that make them. " my face contorted into a snarl as I started talking bitterly and angrily, disgusted by the reality of how far justice is allowed to go in this Maker awful city. "And people like them fail to see that they're system is corrupt. Positions in the courts, titles, and money keep those who make the most severe trespasses from being punished by causing men and women to avert their eyes and to turn their back on the real justice. Lack of money or a title also causes justice to be stopped because those that are not as fortunate as others are automatically assumed to be lying."

Anders stopped doing whatever he had been doing to my ears at that point and I sensed him tense up a bit. _"What am I doing? None of this is his fault. A moment ago we were laughing. Why did I have to take that away?"_

"I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't take my anger out on you. It's just that I get so frustrated with people like them..." I let out a loud and deep sigh. "And the sad part is that I have no idea as to what could possibly be used to judge true justice better." I paused for a moment and clenched my fists tightly."Sure all people have a sense of justice, but not everyone's is the same. How do we even know that what we believe is the right justice? Say you a kill a person in the name of justice; can another person come along and kill you in the name of justice as well for killing that person? Would that be justice or irony? Would it start a never ending cycle of death?"

I let my words hang in the air before a question that I have always tried to answer slipped from my lips. "How do you bring justice to those you can't touch without becoming a monster in the eyes of everyone else?"

I shook my head in an attempt to remove these troubling thoughts from my head before I finally stood up and looked back at Anders. He was staring with unfocused eyes to one side with his arms crossed. I couldn't tell if I had offended him or I had given him something to consider.

"I talk too much..." I finally said as I turned around started to head for the door.

"You have good questions though, Luna. Questions that if everyone tried to figure out would cause this world to be so much better," I heard Anders say behind me. His words caused me to stop and look back at him.

"The only way we know that we know out idea of justice is right is if it benefits others and punishes those that hurt others, directly and indirectly," he said as he started to answer the questions I asked. I never truly expected an answer to any of them. "And if someone kills you for killing someone in the name of justice that would be irony and, in a sense, justice as well if they knew that person you killed. And, in theory, it could start a never ending cycle of death." Anders paused for a moment.

"I can't answer the last one either," I finally said while I walked towards him. "I've been trying to find the answer for years, but the only possibility I can see is that you can't."

"And you would be right, Luna," he said meeting my eyes. "Sometimes you have to become a monster in the eyes of others to bring justice to those you can't touch."

"You're not a monster Anders," I said as I reached out and gripped his arm lightly. "You aren't an abomination either. You...are...a rebel." I said, giving him a small smile.

Anders gave me a small smile in return then glanced at my shoulder. "If you think you're going to get out of here without me healing that shoulder wound of yours, you have another thing coming to ya," he said jokingly.

"Wha—shit!" I let out a sigh. "I forgot, AGAIN, to take care of that." I let go of Anders arm and messaged the bridge of my nose. "Sometimes my forgetfulness amazes me..."

That got Anders to laugh. "Sit back down and let me take a look."

"Fine." I walked back over to the cot I had been sitting on. I removed my cloak and tossed it next to where I was going to sit.

Anders walked over and gingerly cut off the bandages off of my shoulder. Once the wound was exposed he ran a finger over it...and I couldn't help myself.

"Ow!" I cried and forced myself to jump backwards. I had meant it as a joke but Anders didn't know that. His reaction was priceless and I soon found myself gasping for air as I laughed hysterically.

Anders, who had quickly jumped back away from me when I cried out in pain, was now fixing me with a cold stare and a frown.

"That wasn't funny."

"I beg to differ," I managed to say once I had finally stopped laughing. "Sorry, it seems my cruel sense of humor I picked up in the army hasn't left yet." I try to get him to smile, but he didn't bite. _"So...he doesn't like jokes about being hurt or pranks. I should keep that in mind."_

Anders just shook his head and went back to taking a look at my wound. It wasn't that long before I felt him start to heal it. I let out a sigh as I realized that once again Anders had to patch me up for a wound that was my fault.

"How do you do that, Luna?" Anders finally asked, filling the silent air with his voice.

"Do what? Get hurt? Oh that's easy and usually involves me being reckless or taking blows for someone else."

"How do have the deepest conversations about serious matters... and then go back to joking?" he asked pulling away from me when he finished healing my shoulder. "How can you go from being angry and frustrated to being happy and smiling in an instant?"

"Zach used to call it my gift," I said, noticing that Anders winced at the mention of my dead lover. I looked out one of the windows that were at the very top of the walls in his clinic "He used to say that I change the way I act to fit a certain situation whether it is to threaten, motivate, or joke. He thought I did it so that my friends around me would be calm and collective and didn't have to worry or have to do things that they would regret because I'd do it for them." I paused for a minute before looking back at Anders and gave him my wicked smile that often danced across my lips in battle. "Course I thought he was full of shit when he told me this."

"That sounds...about right. You seem like a...protector of sorts." Anders commented.

"Ha! Protector he says! I can't even protect myself when it comes to battle!" I laughed.

"Probably because you're too busy throwing yourself on the enemies swords," he chuckled.

"What can I say? A few near death experiences make life much more interesting."

"I have another question I've been meaning to ask you," Anders said.

"Well I might have an answer."

"How did you get your name? Was it because of your eyes?"

I found myself laughing again, "Everyone always asks that question. No, I was not given my name because my eyes. My father said that my eyes were actually a light blue before they turned white when I asked the same question as well. I was told I got my name because I was born on a night of a full moon and my mother thought it was a "sign" of some sort."

"Interesting..." Anders commented, letting his voice drift off at the end.

"I call it bullshit," I said with a smirk, "cause there's probably a REAL reason behind my name that both my father and mother have denied to tell me." With that said I stood up, grabbed my cloak, and repositioned it on my shoulders as I clasped it together on the front.

"Leaving already?"

"Yeah, I was planning on seeing if Garrett needed my help with anything in the future, but after what happened this morning... I decided to go back to Hanged Man instead and make sure Izz doesn't get drunk."

"What happened this morning?" Anders asked cautiously.

"Garrett called me a whore." I said quickly, betraying no emotion towards how I felt about it to him.

Anders eyes narrowed, "I'm starting to think that your brother's more of a bitch than you."

I let out a short laugh at that. "You wouldn't be the first." Anders laughed quietly at that too before I continued. "I was going to invite you to get drunk with Izz and I tomorrow, but then I remembered that you can't get drunk. The invitation still stands if you want to have a couple of drinks for the hell of it though."

"Sounds interesting...I probably shouldn't though. I need to stay at the clinic in case someone needs help."

"Anders, someone is always going to need help. Not all of them are going to be serious though," I said calmly before backing towards the door. "You need to take some time off to rest and relax...and eat!"

"Maybe your right...perhaps I can afford to take tomorrow off."

"Good, cause it's going to be one hell of a party at the Hanged Man tomorrow night," I smiled at him one last time before I turned around heading out into Darktown.

"Isn't it always?" Anders called from behind me.

That's when I remembered the earrings, "So my ears aren't going to get infected and fall off, right?" I asked as I whipped around to face him again.

"They shouldn't so long as you don't start fighting with your ears."

I laughed quietly to myself, giving a final wave in good bye before I turned back to Darktown and made my way through the filthy streets to the Hanged Man.

* * *

><p><strong>So i just realized that some places where i have extra spaces in a lot of previous chapters are missing so I'm thinking of reloading the entire thing with some revisions. Maker that's going to be a lot of work.<strong>

**Thanks for reading :)  
><strong>


	29. Chapter 29: Why?

**Ok so this is really, really important! I majorly fucked up without realizing it!**

**The reason CH. 13 and 14 were the same was because I uploaded the same damn file. I have now fixed it so that you actually find out what happened in the Chantry (which you probably already knew, but now my rendition of what happened is correctly uploaded)**

**I am extremely sorry for not realizing sooner, and apologize for the inconvenience.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 29<strong>

"_My eyes should not be drifting there."_ Anders thought as he caught himself following Luna's swaying hips as she left. Luna was walking steadily and confidently through Lowtown with her head held high. It was like she knew that if something happened to her that she would always come out on top. But, this didn't stop Anders from watching her until she was out of sight, making sure that no one tried to hurt her. _"That's not the only reason I watch her. She is becoming a distraction."_

Anders shook his head before turning back around and heading to his desk in the corner of his clinic. _"Were those my thoughts, or Justice's? I can't tell anymore."_ Ever since he and the Fade spirit, Justice, had merged, both his and Justice's thoughts swam through his head. And though Luna had proven herself as a great ally and a strong fighter, what was left of Anders' old friend Justice did not think she was good to have around.

"_She is a distraction from my cause and will only hinder what I am trying to do more than she already has."_ These words rang through every fiber in Anders' body as he sat down, holding his head in his hands with his elbows resting on the desk.

"_Luna hasn't kept me from doing anything." _

"_And her convincing me to take the day off tomorrow doesn't count apparently." _

"Go away Justice," He murmured under his breath, even though he knew that was impossible. Justice couldn't just "go away" anymore. He was part of Anders now, and would always be part of him, for better or for worse.

"_She has a good heart and, even though she hates her brother who is a total ass, she feels for the mages and despises the templars. That's more than I can say for anyone, including some mages."_ Anders thought as he tried to appease to "Justice's" thoughts.

"_And because of simple things like her smile, her looks, and her humor I find myself bending over backwards to aid her and be with her. She is keeping me from the patients I need to be healing and the mages I need to free from the Gallows."_ Anders started to message his temples as a sharp pain, one that always occurred when he had these "arguments" between him and Justice, ran throughout his head.

"_Luna is a good woman who has—"_

"_A beautiful smile, eyes, a perfect figure, and everything else that appeals to my...tastes. But I should not be neglecting my duties for mortal pleasures!"_

"But I am a mortal man, damn it!" Anders yelled into the air as he slammed his hands on his desk and rose to his feet in anger.

A great surge of magic flowed through him then, and the world was tinged with blue as he felt Justice; no Vengeance, raise to the surface. Anders quickly turned away from the clinic doors and to the back while he still remained in control for the moment. A mixture of both anger and fear ran in him and that was almost allowing Vengeance to take control again, like it did in the Chantry.

Anders did his best to calm down. He took deep breaths and tried to relax his now tense muscles. He was all too aware that this anger, and his hatred towards templars and the Circles, is what made Justice into the force of Vengeance he was now.

"_If only I could have mastered my anger. Then maybe Justice would be...Justice and not Vengeance...If only I could control what he has become."_ Anders let out a very loud sigh as he picked up the chair he knocked over in his anger and went to grab the supplies he needed to make health poultices. He seemed to have won the argument with himself and was rewarded with being able to think his OWN thoughts now, and not Justice's.

"_Thank the Maker for small pleasures. Now I can think freely."_

Once Anders had gathered all he needed for the health poultices, he set about making them. _"Who would have thought that being taught by an herbalist in the Circle would actually come in handy?"_ He thought fondly to himself. The act of making the poultices held no challenge to him anymore and remembering how much he hated learning herbalism so long ago caused a small smile to cross his lips. _"I remember when I had such difficulty mixing the right herbs together. Now I can do it blindfolded and it's become quite calming."_

As Anders continued his work he thought over what he and Justice had said. _"An argument over Luna is the last thing I thought would happen. A 'distraction' she most certainly is not,"_ he then chuckled softly as he realized something about Luna. _"She acts all tough and like she doesn't care, but she's really a big softie with a big heart. A big heart that's going to get her killed one of these days."_

"_Better make extra health poultices for her when she comes down here tomorrow from tonight's adventures. Maker knows that she can't keep herself from getting hurt for others."_

"_She's more trouble than what she's worth."_

"_Shut up, Justice."_

* * *

><p><em>"Or maybe I won't be staying at the Hanged Man today,"<em> I thought to myself when I saw Garrett in the tavern upon entering. He was seated next to Isabela and was watching her beat Varric at a game of cards...like she always does. _"For someone who doesn't like the idea of me being with someone I like, he's certainly watching Isabela very intently."_

The idea of staying here with him made me want to add to the vomit that was already caked onto the floor. _"Then how am I going to make sure that Isabela doesn't get drunk...?"_

I leaned against the wall that was next to me (and the door) and called out to Varric. "Hey, Varric! Make sure that Isabela doesn't get drunk for me will ya?"

I could hear his bellowing laughter from door, "No problem. You going to join us?"

"No, I'm going to go talk with Fenris."

"Spoil sport!" I heard Isabela yell.

"Tell broody I said "hi" for me," Varric joked before continuing his game of cards.

I just shook my head in disbelief before making a swift entrance out of the Hanged Man and away form Garrett. _"I wonder if he told them about what happened back at Gamlen's. Probably not, otherwise Isabela and Varric would have kicked his ass for me."_

"_I have amazing friends."_

When I stepped back outside into Lowtown I was caught off guard and almost knocked over when someone bumped into me as he ran away from something that was in the same direction I would need to go to get back to the hovel. There was a bunch of yelling and screams coming from over there as well and a few more people were running away. _"What the hell is going on?"_

As another person past me while running away I grabbed their arm and yanked him back towards me so that I could get some information.

"What's happening!" I said in a demanding voice. The person I had grabbed was a boy of twelve, maybe younger. He looked afraid and I couldn't tell if it was because of me or because of what he was running away from.

"Templars," he stuttered, "templars found an apostate 'n were trying to bring him in...but some of his friends 'n family tried to keep him. Then they was slaughtered. Now a huge fight's broken out 'tween the people 'n the templars. It's a massacre!"

My eyes widened in horror and I let the boy go before running towards the fight. _"Templars aren't supposed to attack innocents!"_

The fight had started in the clearing in front of the stairs that lead to Darktown. The street was stained with blood of the the people that had gotten caught in this fight. In the middle stood five armed templars whose armor and swords were splashed with the blood of the people that lay dead around them.

"Andraste's holy, flaming sword! What happened here!" I heard a voice cry before I looked away from those that lay dead and saw Knight-Captain Cullen standing in front of the templars.

"We were in the process of apprehending this mage," the leader of the group of templars said as he pointed to the body of a young boy that lay dead on the ground, "when his family and the people in the area tried to keep him away from us by force. We had no choice but to-"

"Your lyin!" said a voice behind me. I turned around to see the boy who had told me about this fight. "That's my brother laying dead there, and you monsters kill 'em and the rest of my family for no reason!"

"Why you little-" the lead templar said as he came towards the boy in a threatening manner.

I put myself slightly in front of the boy and said as menacingly as I could, "If you so much as touch him, I will gut you where you stand."

Cullen had stepped towards the boy a little as well, "Continue," was all he said.

The boy nodded once before continuing, "When they came my mother was holdin onto my brother and crying. The templars tried to get her away, but couldn't so...so...so they killed her right her on the street. My father tackled the man who killed Mother and then people who saw it joined in too," a loud sob escaped the boys mouth before he managed to finish the story. "The templars killed them all to and...and I ran away. All these people are dead because of them!" The boy screamed out while pointing at the group of five templars.

Not being able to hold his tears in any longer the boy cried and cried. That's when I pulled the boy to me in a tight embrace to let him know that he isn't alone, that someone cares, and that it's alright to cry. I looked up at Cullen who had placed a hand on the boys shoulder while he told us what happened.

"Did you witness this as well, Luna?" Cullen asked when he met my eyes.

"No, I got her too late and was only able to see himthe aftermath."

"Are you really going to believe some random brat's story over a grown man's account of what happened here?" The lead templar exclaimed.

"Yes," Cullen answered, "and I will inform Meredith of what happened here when I return to the Gallows with the five of you, immediately."

A flash in that man's eyes was enough of a warning for me to let go of the boy and unsheathe one of my swords. I bolted towards Cullen just as the lead templar started to swing his sword towards him and was able to knock him out of the way.

The lead templar's sword met mine in a loud clang of steel, and before he was even able to register what was happening I quickly disarmed him with a flick and flourish of my wrist. Then a loud gasp escape the templar's lips as I rammed my sword through his chest.

A loud crash from his armor was the last sound that templar ever made as he fell to the ground once I removed my sword. Cullen had recovered his balance that he lost when I shoved him out of the way by then and was now looking at me with amazement. It was short lived, however, and Cullen quickly unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the remaining four templars that were still standing there, bewildered at what had just happened.

"You four, to the Gallows, now!" He barked.

I didn't see the reaction his words got from the templars. I was to busy making sure that the boy was going to be alright.

"Do you have some place to stay?" I asked him sweetly.

"Yeah, my uncle's. I...should probably go there now and tell him what happened," he replied quietly, his voice still edged with tears.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah. Thank you for avenging my family by killing that bastard," the boy said before he turned around and ran deeper into Lowtown.

"Why is it that we never meet under any good circumstances?" Cullen asked once he stood beside me.

"Because I'm cursed," I managed to say bitterly before heading in the direction of Hightown.

"Luna!" Cullen called out forcing me to stop just to show that I was listening. "Those templars will see justice, don't you worry."

I didn't respond and didn't want to. I just continued on my way to Hightown. _"Would that be true justice...or your corrupted justice?"_

Too little, too late did I realize that my answer for his question was probably not the best and that he could possibly think that I'm a mage or some bullshit like that...but I didn't really care right now. All those people were dead just because some woman didn't want to let her baby go to the Circle. The world is truly fucked up.

* * *

><p>"Luna, is something wrong?" those words almost brought me to tears right then and there.<p>

"I'd be lying if I said no, Fenris."

I was standing in Fenris' room in his borrowed mansion. I don't even really recall getting there. I was too distracted by what had happened in Lowtown. _"All those people...slaughtered for no reason. Why...?"_

Fenris placed his hand in mine and lead me to a chair, mentioning for me to sit. Once I was sitting, Fenris let his hand linger in my own just for a little longer before sitting across from me. He locked my snow white eyes with his emerald green gaze.

"What's wrong, Luna?" the way he said my name was...so...lovely and it made me want him to say it again for some reason.

I let out a deep breath before starting the long explanation of what happened in Lowtown. Fenris was a good listener. He didn't ask any questions and didn't need any elaboration on what I was talking about. He just held my eyes with his own and nodded in understanding when I explained how I felt about it.

"Hmmm," was all he 'said' as he broke eye contact and studied to fire.

"Thank you for listening Fenris. It really helped to talk about it."

He looked back at me with his puppy dog eyes and smiled. "I'm glad I could help."

Then...silence. Not another word was uttered for a while and Fenris was studying the fire once more. I found myself watching him. His white hair was illuminated by the fire and the markings on his skin glowed a little. _"I wonder what it feels like to have lyrium in your skin. It must not be very pleasant I imagine."_

"Why did you come here to talk about it, Luna?" Fenris asked calmly. "Surely Anders would offer more conversation on this topic."

"I was on my way to visit you when it happened and..." my voice drifted a little as I tried to find the right words. "And something tells me that he wouldn't have just listened like you did. All I really needed was for someone to listen."

"Well then, I'll always be willing to listen to a beautiful woman, such as yourself, in that case," he said alluringly as a smile lightened up his features.

My eyes widened a little and my cheeks burned with what he said. _"Did he just...?"_ I only hesitated for a second before responding.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that last part," I replied in my sultry tone, giving him a small smile.

"There's no need for me to repeat the obvious Luna," his smile broadened.

My smile grew a little too before I finally said anything. "Do you mind if I wait here till we need to go kill those bandits for Aveline?"

"Not at all."

"Good, cause I think I could use a quick nap before we go. You'll wake me up when we need to go, right?"

"Of course Luna," Fenris chuckled.

"Thanks."


	30. Chapter 30: More Trouble Than Worth

**Chapter 30**

"Isabela, watch out!" I cried as I ran towards her. She spun around just in time to see a bandit's sword raised above her, and in time to watch me shove her out of the way.

As I knocked her to the ground I felt my own flesh part when the sword cut through, and went in deep, deeper than I had expected, sending pain to wreak havoc throughout my body. I let out a soft hiss in pain while I dropped my swords and pressed my arm firmly on my wound. _"Damn it! I should have brought Garrett along even if he would have complained my fucking ears off! At least he can heal wounds...sort of."_ I slid to the ground and propped myself up against a wall. From there I saw Aveline, Fenris, and Isabela kill the last of the bandits in the pale moonlight. _"This wasn't supposed to be hard. Aveline said that these bandits wouldn't be prepared and they hadn't, but even with the upper hand of surprise we still almost got our asses kicked. What the hell was this?"_

"Luna's been hurt!" said Aveline as she made her way towards me.

"No...Shit!" I said as I started to breathe heavily, "Did all this red stuff tip you off?" I asked with a little bit of sarcasm in it.

"Luna, shut up," that was Fenris talking now, "you've lost a lot of blood already and telling jokes isn't going to help you."

I chuckled a little because I figured laughing would hurt worse, "Says you." I smirked at him before looking over at Aveline. "And you thought we could handle them ourselves. This is the last time that I help you with groups of bandits at night."

"We need to get her to Anders, Aveline," said Isabela, cutting off whatever Aveline was going to say. She actually sounded serious for once. I felt Fenris place one arm under my legs and on my back as he picked me up off of the ground like I weighed nothing while Isabela was talking.

"Fenris, you and Isabela need to run to Anders' clinic, I don't think Luna is going to last the long trip from Hightown to Darktown. I'll go and tell Leandra and Garrett what transpired." She picked up my swords and handed them to Isabela. That's when Fenris took off in the direction of Darktown. "_Aveline shouldn't even bother. It's not like my mother and Garrett would care about what happened to me."_

As Fenris ran I started to feel light headed and the world started spinning around me. I let out a slight gasp as he ran down some stairs because the shaking caused by it hurt like fucking hell.

"Stay awake, Luna," I heard Fenris say in a voice calmer than it had ever been, "the last thing I want is to be held responsible for your death by an abomination."

"He's not an abomination," I said, slurring all those words together as if I were drunk.

"You're just delirious from all that blood you're losing," He responded without missing a beat. That's when I realized that I was soaking him in my blood, and that I was already soaked from it as well. "_All this blood from a little paper cut? Maker, I'm turning into a pussy like Garrett!"_

"Hold on a little longer Luna," said Isabela, still sounding serious, "we're almost there." I had just about forgotten she was there beside us.

"Andraste's ass, Isabela," I said, still slurring my words like a drunk, "you actually sound serious!"

I don't know if she was about to say something or not but Fenris cut in with his booming voice, "Shut up, Luna! You need to stop talking."

I complied but only because I was getting tired, and I was having difficulty keeping my eyes open. "Why is it so cold?" I asked, randomly, with one of my last ounces of strength. The way I said it was so completely out of character for me. It sounded innocent and small, like I was feeble or something. It was in the tone of voice I only sometimes use around Anders and little children.

Fenris sped up after what I had said and everything around me just blurred together like some bad painting you would see in a noble's house. I had no idea where we were or how much time had passed. I only knew we were at Anders' clinic when Fenris stopped.

"What happened to her?" said a familiar, kind, and loving voice I recognized. Although, this time it was edged with worry. "Fenris, put her over here. Isabela, there are some rags and a bucket of water in the corner, grab them for me."

I felt Fenris move quickly...somewhere... and place me on a hard slab of wood. He then straightened out my legs as someone put something underneath my head. I then recognized that Isabela had put her bandana underneath my head to make me a little more comfortable. At least I hope it was her bandana.

"Maker's breath, Luna! What the hell did you do!" cried Anders when he pushed my shirt up and saw my wound. _"He barely uncovered my wound. How sweet of him for trying to keep my modesty intact."_

"This idiot, yes that is you, Luna, threw herself in front of a bandit for me and now is probably going to die from it," said Isabela who was now back in her carefree tone of voice. She must have snapped out of whatever was making her sound serious a little bit ago, _"Or she knows, like I do, that Anders never lets anyone die."_

"She's not going to die!" said Anders as he dipped one of the rags in water and started to wash the blood off of my skin. The coldness of the washcloth made me shiver, which I tried to stifle but failed in doing so.

"Sorry Luna," he said, "but cold water is the only thing I have down here." He was so kind and it showed mostly in his eyes and voice, but he rarely smiled. I could just barely get him to smile every now and then. "_What I wouldn't give to see him smile more. I'd do anything to stop his sadness."_

"You guys can stop fretting now," I said with my slurred words, "I've had worse."

"You need to stop talking now, Luna," said Anders. "You've lost a lot of blood and talking isn't helping you."

"Hadn't noticed," I said. My eyes started to flutter and I shivered again. _"So cold, so tired."_

Anders voice, which was still so calm and so kind, filled my ears, "Luna, close your eyes" he said. I felt the warmth of his magic flowing through my body, the smell of incense filled my nose, and taste of honey filled my mouth from his magic. I also felt a slight burning sensation coming from my necklace as he healed my wound. Then a peace that I have not known for a long time fell over me. My body relaxed as I recognized the spell Anders was using at that moment. It was a spell of sleep that my father used on me once a very long time ago. With this peace came the infinite blackness that wrapped me in a shroud of warmth as it tried to keep my recollection of what had happened in previous times away. Unfortunately it failed.

* * *

><p>"<em>If I had known she was going to get herself hurt this bad I would have prepared a little more in advance."<em> Anders thought as he was slowly healing Luna's wound. It wasn't a terrible wound, but it did go deep and it did bleed a lot. Luna was already much paler than normal because of all the blood she lost. Now that she was asleep, Anders relaxed a little more. For the moment, she was going to be all right.

"_I knew she was more trouble than what she's worth."_

"_Shut up, Justice!"_ Anders had to pry himself from the internal debate that was about to start and concentrate on what he was doing. He did glance up to see what Isabela and Fenris were up to and to see if they were even still there.

Isabela was standing off to the side of the wooden cot Luna was on. Concern was marked on her face, showing that even though she acts selfish she really does care...a little. She also still carried Luna's swords.

"_Luna must have dropped her swords during the fight. She always has them in their sheaths. She's really finicky about her swords for some odd reason, especially when it comes to the possibility of them getting wear, tear, or rust."_ If matters weren't so grave right then, Anders would have probably smiled at that thought, but he dare not do that now, lest the others would think worse of him than they already did.

"Isabela, there are some bandages over on my desk. Would you grab them for me?" Anders asked as he finally finished healing what little he could of Luna's wound. He was expecting some witty remark to come from the pirate, but he just saw her nod and walk off.

The broody elf was still staring intently at Luna as he had been since he first set her down on the cot. There was a gleam of affection in his eyes as he gazed at her, but when he glanced up to see Anders looking at him the affection in his eyes turned into hate and... _"Ah, so the Tevinter dog is jealous. He has no right to look at Luna like that anyways. She would never fall for someone so single minded like him."_

"_It does not matter. I need not dwell on such things. There is no time for me to get jealous as well."_

Anders had stopped healing Luna's wound, and started to bind it in the bandages Isabela had just handed him. He had done all he could on the wound, but he wasn't able to do as much as he would like, seeing as Luna had lost so much blood and he wasn't going to risk her losing anymore. Also, he was already worn out from previous patients he had treated earlier in the day and he wouldn't have been able to continue much longer anyways. He would never admit it though. Anders would always help people no matter how tired he was.

As Fenris noticed that Anders was no longer healing Luna's injury he glared at him menacingly. "Why haven't you fully healed her wound, mage?"

The way he had said "mage" made Anders inwardly wince, no one could put any more malice into the word than Fenris had. His past truly left a grudge that not even time could wash away and would always affect his views on magic.

"It would be easier and better for me to heal her when she's awake. I made her sleep, however, because then she wouldn't be in as much pain nor would she lose as much blood," Anders explained calmly.

Fenris responded with a threatening growl. He saw the reasoning behind Anders decision, but he still didn't like it. "And since when do you get to make all the decisions?"

"This is my clinic, I'm the healer, and if I'm not mistaken you brought her to me for help." Anders voice grew a little louder with his words as his anger rose a little. _"Fighting over this is not important. SHE is not important to me. I should NOT be having feelings for her beyond friendship and I should not care if someone else does."_

"_She is important! Fenris is not right for her! All he'll do is hurt her!"_

"_I should allow Fenris to have her. She will not distract me from my cause as she is starting to do now."_

"_Shut up, Justice!"_

"If there was anyone closer to where we were or anyone who was actually awake at this time, I would have her to them and not to...some dangerous abomination," Fenris snarled.

"An abomination who kept her from dying and that she trusts," Anders retorted.

"Her trust is obviously misplaced."

"Yeah, seeing as she trusts you."

"I find myself in a position to say the same exact thing, mage."

The two men didn't exchange anything else but cold stares at one another in a silent battle over Luna.

"Oh will you two get over yourselves? You're like two dogs around a bitch in heat," Isabela finally interrupted.

"We were talking about Luna, not you," Fenris replied coldly.

"Fine, be an asshole to me. I don't care. Just know that if either of you hurt her, I'll tear out your hearts myself," Isabela threatened before setting Luna's swords next to her and heading out the door. "I'll be back in a bit with some clean clothes for her, Anders," she called over her shoulder as she left.

Fenris fixed Anders with one more menacing glare before silently leaving the clinic as well.

"_She is not worth this,"_ Anders heard Justice say in his head once the silent atmosphere of his clinic returned.

"_Yes, she is...and you know it."_

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped open. I was covered in a cold sweat and quickly glanced around the room I was in. Fear gripped me as I tried to figure out where I was, hoping to the Maker that I wasn't back in that cave.<p>

When I was able to calm down a little, I looked around and saw that I was in a dimly lit room on something comfy that resembled a bed. _"How odd, Gamlen's beds aren't this comfy. Where am I?"_ It took me a while to remember what happened yesterday, or this evening, or...whenever it happened. "_I'm still in Anders' clinic. And this must be his bed. Damn his kindness! He needs to sleep more than I do with all these refugees he helps at all hours of the day, or night."_

I looked around the room and saw Anders washing his hands clean. He was scrubbing them together with soap furiously, trying to get whatever was on them off. _"Perhaps he's trying to wash off blood that stained his hands."_

I then twisted back to lay in the same position as I had been before I looked around the room, but that movement caused me to stretch out my nice little sword wound that sent an intense pang of pain through my body. I let out a little gasp, and I heard hurried footsteps approach me. _"Great. Anders heard me. He must think I'm more trouble than what I'm worth."_

"You're awake!" He said with such happiness and relief that I almost flinched from the intensity of it.

"Did you think I was going to die in the middle of the night or something? You should know by now that I'm too stubborn for that," I said with a smirk, but his eyes instantly looked sad. "_Way to go, Luna! You said the wrong thing!"_

"Please don't joke about that, Luna," he said, "if I lost you then..."he hesitated, "then who would keep Garrett at bay?" That last part he made light and jokingly, but still there was no smile.

I gave a single, half laugh at that. _"Why did he say "I" instead of "we_?"" I then pushed myself up and leaned against the wall that was next to me, wincing as I moved. Anders grabbed a few more pillows and put them underneath me so I didn't strain the wound. After that he pulled down the blankets just enough to get at my wound then started healing it again while my necklace started burning again. _"If he couldn't heal it all in one go then it must have been way worse than I thought it was, or he was just healing others, including me, to the point of exhaustion again."_

"Don't worry," he said, "I had Isabela get you out of your blood soaked clothes and into some clean ones."

"I'm not sure that's the lesser of two evils," I said sarcastically and captivatingly. "I'm sure she promised to tell you all about it later."

Anders didn't say anything or do anything in response to what I said. He seemed focused on something, maybe it was healing my wound but I couldn't tell. He looked...disturbed, as if something was bothering him.

"Luna, how did you get those scars on your back? They seem to be...in a pattern that would suggest you have been...whipped...or tortured."

"_Shit! I wondered if Isabela had seen those. Guess my old wounds will have to be reopened now." _I hesitated a bit then decided that Anders was too stubborn as well to let something like that go._ "Damn it, I was really hoping I wouldn't have to tell any of them about the scars."_

"I got them when I was fifteen," I said, answering the wrong question while stalling so that I could figure out how to get myself out of this situation.

"I didn't ask when you got them Luna. I asked HOW you got them," he said patiently. He had finished healing my wound and sat on the bed next to my legs. No longer needing to worry about hurting myself, I sat up and crossed my legs, resting my arms on my knees.

"Oh, sorry, I always get those two questions mixed up," I said while looking out the doorway with a glazed look in my eyes.

There was a bit of a pause. Anders probably thought that I would answer the right question after saying that excuse, but I made no notion as to fill the empty air with an answer.

"You don't want to tell me?" He asked with concern in his eyes.

"I don't want to remember," I replied hastily so as not to make him feel as if I didn't trust him.

"That bad, huh?" he asked, still looking at me with his gorgeous brown eyes. "_I want to tell you, I do; it's just that it hurts to remember."_

"Well it has to have been if it caused me to thrash about so violently in my sleep last night."

This startled him. "You were aware of that."

"No," I said, "I just know I do it from the numerous times Garrett's yelled at me for it. And it always happens when I remember the _story_ behind my scars." I let out a heavy sigh and looked straight into Anders eyes. "Do you want the short version or the long version?"

"Which have you told the most?" he asked.

I let out a small laugh, "I haven't ever told either. You should probably know that the short version is only five words though." I found myself looking at my hands which were now interlinked together as they lay in my lap and both of them were outlined with thick scars that wrapped all the way around my wrists.

Anders placed one of his hands on my arm and I looked up into his eyes. He didn't say anything and he made me feel that I was safe, right here with him and that its time that I stopped running away from what happened and hiding it from those that I trust and those that trust me.

"Long version it is," I said with a slight smile. "But it will take some time to tell."

"I'm not going anywhere soon," he said as he put all the compassion in the world in those words.

"Alright," I said, sighing. "Like I said, I was fifteen and it was just before we moved to Lothering. In fact it _was_ the reason we did move to Lothering."


	31. Chapter 31: Evangaline

**Chapter 31**

"It started with a knock on the door..."

* * *

><p>"<em>Damn it! Just when I thought I would finally get some peace and quiet, free from those damned mages!"<em> I walked calmly to the door, but didn't open it. "Who is it?" I asked in my ladylike voice

"Its Ser Victor Coden, Emile Jamar, Elena Kadia, Zach Zaroff, Garvin Jacobs, and Mitchell Velise of the templars," replied the stern voice of a man.

"_Shit! Templars! Our cover's been blown! Someone's sold us out!"_ I thought quickly on my toes and replied, "Will you give me a moment please? I'm indecent right now."

"Very well, miss, but please hurry. We have some questions for you," said the same demanding voice.

I quickly ran to the chimney and pulled on the rope that would raise a white flag to signal that our cover had been blow. It was something our father had come up with last time we had almost gotten caught by templars. Only Hawke family members knew what it meant. After raising the signal I walked back over to the door and unlocked it as loudly as I could.

"Hello, ser," I said to the templar closest to the door, and the one who I presumed had knocked on the door.

"Hello, miss," said the templar. "My name is Victor Coden. Would you mind if my fellows and I step inside?"

"Not at all, Ser Victor. Though I'm afraid not all of you might be able to come in. You see our house was not built for big men wearing bulky armor. No offense!" I swiftly added in, in case what I said was rude, or provoked him.

"Not at all, miss..."

"Evangaline," I replied, using my alias for that town. "My name is Evangaline."

"Evangaline, that's such a lovely name." He then looked back at his men. "Do you think that three of us would be able to fit inside your home?"

I looked back in my house to see if there was which I knew there was but I looked anyway so that I wouldn't appear to be acting suspicious. "_Why don't they ask about Father, Marian, and Garrett already? Are they just here to collect me? Do they think that I'm a mage as well?"_ I then looked back at Victor, "Yes, ser, I believe there is."

"Very well," he said. He turned to his men. "Emile, Zach you'll come with me and this lovely, young miss. Elena you can go back to the Chantry, and Garvin and Mitchell you two can wait outside."

"_Wait outside for what?"_ Victor then turned back to me and I gave him a polite smile, "Right this way, ser," I said as I opened the door and stepped aside to let him, Zach, and Emile through.

Victor was a tall man with wide shoulders, a goatee, and bright blonde hair. His eyes were green, he stood a full head taller than Emile, and he was about 35. Emile was short, red headed, with no facial hair. He had brown eyes, which was odd for a red head, and he was the thinnest of them all as well as the shortest. He was roughly 23 years old. Zach was the most interesting looking of the two. He was the tallest and he was in between Victor and Emile when it came to being the most heavy set. His skin was a touch darker than mine (which boys often would tease me by saying it was whiter than ivory) and he had blue eyes that were pale blue, like ice. His black hair often ended up covering those blue, mad dog eyes of his. He was only 18.

When I shut the door I didn't let it close all the way. I left it open slightly so that it was open but looked closed just in case. I then offered the templars the couch, which they sat on, and I moved the chair by the fireplace closer to them and closer to the door which, like the door, they didn't notice.

Victor folded his hands and spoke; no longer having the kind and gentleman like tone he had used to get in the house. "Let's get right to business shall we? We know, Miss _Evangaline_."

"Excuse me?" I said, looking puzzled, "What is it you know?" I didn't say it quickly, if you say things quickly around templars they'll know you're lying or call your bluff. At least that's what Father told me anyways.

"We know that there are three mages in your family," he said angrily, "If you tell us who they are and where they are you and your other non-mage family member won't be punished."

With the last word I heard the door get closed all the way. Emile then was behind my chair in seconds, grabbed it, hauled it into the center of the room, and held my shoulders firmly. I struggled a little to see how strong he was and soon realized that there was no way I would escape his grasp. "_Son of a fucking bitch! They knew that I had left the door open a little! THEY KNEW EVERYTHING! But how! It doesn't matter! Keep your wits about you! Don't panic!"_

"So tell me, dear Evangaline, where are they?" said Victor who had twisted his kind words and kind voice in to something creepy and evil.

"Where are who?" I asked not letting him onto the fact that I was scared shitless.

He slapped me, hard, across the face. "Where are the mages!" His voiced boomed and he hit me again.

"I don't know any mages, ser!" I said. I started to cry. Some of it was real but most of it was for the bluff. "_If I can convince him that he's got the wrong girl I may have a chance"_

"Stop crying bitch!" he yelled as he hit me again, "we know your lying to protect your family." Again he hit me but this time it was with his fist.

I felt blood start to ooze down my nose. I looked at the templars I could see. Victor's face was red with anger, and Zach he had this disgusted look on his face. He also looked paler than he was when he first walked in.

"If you knew my family, ser," I said, being careful with my words, "you would know that if they were indeed mages I would have sold them out already."

He hit me again, this time harder and close to my temple. I felt the world shift with that blow. "Stop this lying or else I can't promise you safety!"

"Please, ser, I'm not lying! I'm the last of three children. My mother and father only have love for the first two. I was never wanted! I was the mistake! They don't care about me! They never treat me like I'm their daughter or their sibling! I'm just a stranger!" I cried out at him trying to make him believe the bluff even if what I said was completely true. "_They need to believe me! If they don't, then I don't know what will happen to me!"_

"Ah, so now she tells the truth," said Emile behind me. "You can stop trying to pull off that bluff now. We have come across many who have tried the same. They all failed of course and we can see right through yours." He and Victor both laughed and I looked at Zach. He looked in my eyes for a second before looking away. "_I'm not about to turn in my family. That's not the way I do things. Even though they don't care for me I won't sell them out! Well, seeing my bluff isn't working it's time to go mute."_

"So, are you ready to reconsider our deal, Evangaline?" said Victor who wasn't sounding as creepy as he had been. "Tell us where the mages are and we'll let you and your mother go. Yes that's right; we know that your mother isn't a mage and that it's your father, brother, and sister that are." He paused and took in a breath. "So tell me, Evangaline, will you help us?"

I immediately dropped the innocent-girl act and settled on my regular, badass, don't fuck with me persona. I gave him a look that was nothing but pure hatred. "Go fuck yourselves!" I said and spat in his eye.

I only felt the next blow a little before I fell unconscious.

* * *

><p>When I woke up I kept my eyes closed and tried to keep my breathing slow and even so that the templars didn't realize I was awake. I calmed my mind and tried to figure out what my surroundings were without looking. I was on a rough, sharp surface which I concluded was rock. I heard the steady drip-drip of water echo off of the walls. "<em>Sharp rocky surface, dripping water with no source, and no natural light. A cave. I must be in a cave." <em>

I heard someone approach where I was, but the person stopped. "Has there been any change in her, Zach?" the angry voice of Victor rung through the cave.

"None, ser," said Zach whose voice I found quite lovely. "_He's a templar Luna remember that! He helped in kidnapping you and didn't try to stop the Victor from beating you back at the house!" _

"Very well, Zach. If and when she wakes up chain her arms and the wall and then come and get me. Understood?"

"Yes, ser!" replied Zack.

I heard Victors footsteps slowly fade away as he left the cave. When I thought he was gone I opened one eye to see if, and what, I could see.

"You can get up now," Zach's voice startled me, "I know you're awake. You should probably stretch before I chain you up," he said.

I didn't say anything I got up and stretched, cracking my shoulders and neck. I looked around. I was in a cave that was kind of square. There was a long table with shackles on the top and bottom. "_For hands and feet." _There were also a few torture devices, a couple of whips, a fire place and sharp, spokes still covered in blood from the previous unfortunate soul that had been here.

"Are you done stretching?" Zach asked...kindly.

I still didn't say anything. I just held out my wrists to signal I was ready. He grabbed them and then walked me to the wall with the chains attached to them. The room was lit poorly but I still could see clearly. It was quite odd. `

After Zach had finished chaining me he looked at me with those mad dog eyes of his and leaned in closer to me. I could feel his breath in my ear as he whispered, "It's only been a day so far. We are in the woods about a mile or so east from the village you lived in. I won't be here all the time because my fellow templars believe I'm too soft and this is the last decency you will ever get from this time out until I'm on guard again. We haven't found a trace of your family. And I can promise you that you will be in agony at one point or during all of it." With that said Zach backed away from me, turned around, and was about to leave, but a wrapped one of my legs around his. He turned back to me.

"Thank you for giving me that warning," I said calmly and with no emotion. "It was very kind of you." I looked right into his eyes and he nodded but then looked down.

"If I was truly kind I would have freed you by now and damned all the consequences," he said before turning to tell Victor that I was awake.

I heard his footsteps before I saw him. He turned the corner to my _cell_ and walked up to me. When he was standing right in front of me, he slapped me across the face. "Well, look who's awake. How are you feeling Miss Evangaline? Did you sleep well?"

I didn't say anything. I was playing mute. He wasn't going to get anything out of me that might hurt my family. Instead of saying anything, I spit on him. He slapped me again, with a little more force behind it than the slaps he dealt me back at the house.

"You little bitch!" he yelled as he wiped the spit off his face. "No more playing nice. You will tell me where your apostate family is, or I'll have to get it from you by force."

I fixed him with a cold hard stare but didn't say anything. Victor narrowed his eyes at me waiting for an answer. When he realized he wasn't going to get one he punched me in the stomach. I gave a soft grunt and bent forward from his blow.

"Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way then," he said...with a smile. That bastard was actually happy that I wasn't going to give in. "Emile!" he called.

I heard more footsteps come towards us before I saw Emile standing next to Victor grinning from ear to ear. "Yes, Victor, my friend."

"Please convince Miss Evangaline that she should talk and not spit." He said looking happily at Emile. "After all spitting is not something a lady does, am I right?"

"You are indeed, ser."

With that Victor left, and I suddenly realized, with dread, that he was the nicer of the two that had been in that room with me.

Emile looked at me and smiled. "I'm going to enjoy trying to make you talk."

He landed his first blow on my jaw but most of the blows went to my stomach. My hands were chained above me so I wasn't able to block any of the punches he was throwing. I just had to endure them.

Emile knew how to beat people, I'll give him that. He hit me hard enough to cause a lot of pain, but not hard enough to break anything. The chains that were holding me rattled as I moved from the force of being hit and from reflexively moving when I was being hit.

How long he beat me I don't know. I tried to count how many times he hit me, but lost count around 43. It was a long time before he stopped and when he did finally stopped he gave me one more blow in the stomach for good measure. It almost made me throw up, but I resisted the urge.

"I think you might be ready to talk now." He said with a slight laugh.

He walked out to talk to Victor. I was in so much pain, and I wanted to cry. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. These were things you only heard from mages who tried to scare you into hating the templars, they weren't supposed to be real! "_Don't you dare cry! Don't show any weakness in front of them. As soon as you do they'll think they own you."_

I felt blood running down my arms. I looked up and saw that the shackles had cut into my wrists probably from all the moving and pulling I had been doing. I heard more footsteps and braced myself for what was next. I couldn't even image what "next" was at this point. I didn't want to guess what it was.

"So are you actually going to talk now?" I heard Victor ask as he and Emile approach me.

"_Just don't give them any information, other than that, I'm free to talk." _I looked directly at Victor and spoke clearly without any hint of how much pain I was in.

"No," I said, firmly as I locked my eyes with his.

Victor smiled a little. "Well, look here Emile. Not only does she aid apostates, but she has a smart mouth." I was ready for the punch he threw, but I wasn't given enough time to turn my head a little to soften the impact.

"I think this is all we are going to get from her today, Victor," said Emile.

"You're probably right," replied Victor. "We'll try again tomorrow." With that Victor hit me again and sent me into unconsciousness...again.

* * *

><p>When I woke up again I was aware of the stiffness in my arms, head, and legs. There was caked on blood on my face and arms. The constant drip-drip of the water was still going. It was so loud and so repetitive. I couldn't stand it. It never stopped either. It just kept going at the same time, one after the other.<p>

I lifted my head and saw Emile in the doorway. When I looked up my chains rattled and unfortunately Emile heard them.

"It seems that you are once again awake my beauty," he said with a perverted grin. He walked over to me and squeezed my breasts with his hands. I squirmed under his touch. "You don't like that my sweet?" He said and smiled more. "I guess I can do something else." He then let go of my breasts and slid one of his hands underneath my skirt and ran it up the inside of my legs. "It's such a shame that Victor told me to leave you unspoiled...for now." With that he removed his hand from my body and hit me in the head to knock me out again.

The darkness I drifted into had never been so welcoming before then.

* * *

><p>"Damn it Emile why did you have to hit her so hard! She's been out cold for three days!" That was Victor whose voice barely covered up the sound of the water.<p>

"I didn't mean to hit her that hard, but you told me if she woke in the middle of the night to hit her good...which I did, and I don't think that just one punch would knock her out for three days. There must have been some sort of psychological reason behind this...or something." That was Emile.

Victor sighed. "And I was hoping to get the location of her family before the end of this week. Now we are a full three days behind schedule. Perhaps I should have reassigned Zach as the guard."

"_I've been here for four days and still nobody's come for me? Do I mean so little to them?"_

"Zach is a poor guard and templar. He's too soft. Anyway this argument doesn't matter anymore, she's awake now." Emile said with a slight chuckle at the end. "_How did he know I was awake?"_

"Indeed she is, Emile." Victor and Emile both walked over to me. "Are you ready to tell me where the apostates are?"

"No," I said as I fixed him with a cold stare. His face contorted in disgust and I spit in his face again, hitting him in the eye. He slapped me across the face once.

"I have had enough of the spitting!" His booming yell filled the chamber. "Emile! Put her wrists in the other shackles so that her arms are spread away from her body to the sides, and make sure she's facing the wall!"

"Yes Ser!"

"_What's he doing! What's going to happen!"_ That's when I saw what was going to happen. Victor walked over to the fire pit and reached down to grab a bull whip that had its metal tips resting in the flaming coals. The metal was red from the heat and looked similar to how red Victor's face had been after I spit on him.

Emile forced me into the position that Victor told him to get me in. I tried to struggle against him, but my efforts proved futile because I was weak and hadn't eaten for four days.

Once I was secured I heard Emile back away from me and heard Victor's footsteps approach me. When he stopped he asked, "How many lashes should she get for spitting Emile?"

"Twenty-five," responded Emile. I couldn't see him but I knew he was smiling that evil grin of his. "How many times has she spit on you?"

"Three times so far," he said. He let out a wicked laugh and I heard the metal ends of the bull whip scrape against the ground as he brought it back to cracked against my skin. "I'm sorry my dear, but you brought this upon yourself."

I heard the whip whiz through the air. "_MAKER, GIVE ME STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE!"_

* * *

><p><strong>So this delves into Luna's past. I've been sitting on this for a while and have finally been able to add it.<strong>

**please tell me what you think and if there are any mistakes (i.e. spelling, wrong word, commas, or just doesn't sound right) so that I can fix it. **

**Thank you :)  
><strong>


	32. Chapter 32: Are You Insane?

**Chapter 32**

When I woke up I found myself on the ground, lying on my stomach, with the drips of the water still carrying on with uncaring consistency. I tried to get up, forgetting what had happened...however long ago it had happened, and was greeted with unbearable pain. I could feel the tender and swollen skin on my back stretch and tear with such a simple movement. Blood started to trickle in a thick stream down my back and I clutched my head in my arms, whimpering in pain. How long it took before the pain finally subsided, I do not know, but when it had, I looked around carefully so that I did not reopen the wounds on my back even more than I already had.

Very little light came from the tunnel leading to my _cell_ in this cave, and the darkness that closed in around me was darker than a night with an absent moon. My breath, which came out raggedly, was visible in the air because the biting cold was freezing it, and me. Nothing in this room had changed except my position and I was grateful that I was no longer chained up.

The water was still dripping. That was the only thing that was certain here. The only thing that I knew was going to happen all the time. But it was still annoying. To have that as the only thing to listen to was maddening.

Then the memories of what had caused me to black out resurfaced in painful detail. "_I did it. I stayed conscious through all seventy-five lashes. And I didn't shed a single tear or beg them to stop. I didn't give them the satisfaction of begging them to end it. That's enough for me."_

While looking around I noticed that there was a plate of food in front of me. Half a loaf of bread and some dried up meat was all that was on the plate, but for someone who hasn't eaten in five days it was a feast. "_At least they're 'kind' enough to give me enough water and some food."_

* * *

><p>For six days I was continuously questioned and beaten by Victor and Emile. I was only able to tell it was six days because I received eighteen meals; three meals for every day and all of my meals were served with evil smiles and insults coupled with kicks to the face, punches to the stomach, or (if I was lucky) I only suffered one of the three.<p>

The wounds I received from being whipped didn't heal that much due to the fact that they were constantly being opened and reopened thanks to the torture that Victor and Emile gladly put me through. Zach had been right. I was always in agony now, but I did my best to keep strong. My best was starting to fail me.

I felt as if I was slowly losing my mind, and the dripping water wasn't helping me. It was making things worse, much worse. I had officially dubbed the dripping water as the bringer of insanity because it seemed to call to insanity that was hidden deep inside of all of us. I figured that it only affected some people and that it was affecting me tremendously for some reason.

Between the torture and the questioning I had nothing to do. There was nothing I could do, and in the darkness I could slowly feel the walls start to close in on me. The air swirled in around and I was unable to decide whether or not it burned with an intense heat, or a fierce cold that froze me to the spot. It felt as if I was suffocating on my own breath, that the walls were forcing everything to squeeze me tightly.

The only way I could forget about the closeness of the darkness and the walls was when I thought up various escape attempts. All of which could never happen and that pushed me further towards the edge of insanity. This...madness caused me to eventually talk to myself, or to a wall or shadow as I realized there was no escape. I could not escape from this cave, the templars, the closing in walls, the dripping water, my insanity...my fate. It seemed that the Maker had turned his back on me and that I was doomed to die in this damn cave.

Something different from the normal routine of being beaten and question happened on the seventh day after I had been whipped. That made it a total of twelve days since I was brought to this damn cave that was worse than the Void itself.

"And how are we doing?" Victor asked me.

Over those seven days I had discovered my sense of sarcasm and I lost my fear of them, probably due to the shock of what was happening...or because that damn dripping water really was making me go insane to the point where I considered myself to be more than one person.

"We are doing quite fine. Although we are bored as fuck! Can't you give us something to read or do?" I said with my new found sarcasm.

My tone shocked both of them. It showed on their faces. They weren't expecting me to reply at all, least of all reply with sarcasm. The dripping water told me to be sarcastic after all, but they probably couldn't hear it.

"So where is your family, Evangaline?" said Victor, trying a different question to see if he would get the answer he wanted; which he didn't.

"And how the fuck would we know?" I said with laughter, "We've been locked up in here the whole damn time so my _family_ wouldn't be able to tell me." I stopped laughing and looked at Victor. "You know you can stop calling us Evangaline now. It's not our real name anyways."

"Then what is your real name?" Victor asked.

"Why would we tell you?"

"Because I can do whatever I fucking feel like to you." He said dropping back into his creepy, evil persona. "I own you right now! No one knows where you are. Nobody cares where you are. Everything you've got left...I can take! You Are Nothing!"

This stopped me in my tracks. "_Perhaps toying him wasn't the smartest thing to do."_

"Emile," he said with a smile that froze my soul to my bones, "please leave us and ignore any sounds you may here coming from this cave."

"Very well ser," he said and then left.

When he was gone Victor grabbed me by the hair, lifted me up, and threw me onto the table. He then shackled my ankles and wrists to it. I tried struggling, tried to break free, but it was no use. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen.

"And right now," Victor whispered in my ear, "I feel like fucking you!"

I tried to scream but Victor quickly put a rag in my mouth to stifle it. He then took his time taking of his armor. I struggled in vain against the shackles. Tears were threatening to spill from my eyes but I wouldn't let them come.

Then he was on top of me.

He had pushed my skirt up and pulled my small clothes down around my ankles. I tried to knock him off and when that didn't work, I tried to keep my legs closed. But he was so much stronger than I was and I couldn't stop him. I really was nothing.

He forced my legs open with his knees and I...closed my eyes... and wished that it would be over soon.

* * *

><p>Three days had passed since Victor had raped me. I had now been in this cave for fifteen days; trapped with that damn dripping water for fifteen days. Its call for my insanity had finally won. I had given in to it. I gave into the insanity that had been dormant in my body and had only showed a little before I had been raped. Now the water was dripping on in victory, making sure that my insanity wasn't short lived.<p>

Victor and Emile had tried to get something out of me. But I was lost; lost to them and to myself. I just stared at something, yet nothing, in space and listened to the steadiness of the dripping water. I would also rock back in forth in a corner, murmuring incoherent words and phrases that meant nothing and were only gibberish. The walls kept closing in on me, getting closer and closer. It made everything worse than it already was and I was now letting the insanity flow through me. I no longer was fighting dripping water's sound that called to me, and told me to break away from myself and to lose myself...forever.

Sometimes I would hear Emile comment on the fact that there was no light in my eyes and that Victor had broken me; that he had caused my sanity to crack, and ultimately fracture.

On the fourth day a familiar voice tried to get me out of my trance.

"By the blood of Andraste, what have they done to you!" an alarmed voice whispered as I felt warm hands on my shoulders.

When I didn't say anything the familiar voice called out to me. "Evangaline. Evangaline! Come on Evangaline, say something!"

The sound of the dripping water slowly started to fade and became just background noise, and with it, a little bit of the fog in my head cleared and I was able to speak. The trance the water had put me in had been slightly broken. "Not my name," I finally managed to choke out. My voice was hoarse and sounded terrible. It even cracked a little as I said those three words.

"Do you know who this is?" the voice asked patiently and with concern.

I looked up into the mad dog blue eyes. "Zach," I said in a tone that sounded like I was distracted by something...and I was. I was distracted by the water and my insanity.

He smiled and nodded, "That's right. Do you know where we are?"

I hesitated a moment, thinking hard, trying to remember. "In...cave. 'Bout...mile or so...from...home?"

"Good," said Zach.

I looked at him and smelled something on him. "Blood," I said.

"It's not mine," said Zach. "It's a combination of Victor's, Emile's, Garvin's, and Mitchell's"

"Dead?" I asked.

"Very much so, now come on, I have to get you out of here!" He said, his voice filled with worry. With that he tried to pick me up and carry me, but I struggled against him

"No, templar!" I shrieked as I clawed at him, trying to back away from him hysterically.

"Evangaline, listen! I'm not going to hurt you. I'm trying to help you."

"No...calling me that! Not my name!" I cried out, still trying to get away and speaking like some mad hatter. "You're just like them! Always...hurting...always trying to... to get what you want...always doing...as you please with...with everyone! Get away!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you," Zach said sorrowfully. "I made the mistake of not saving you before, and you paid the price for that. I'm not going to make that same mistake. I'm not going to let you be damaged anymore. I am going to save you from here."

I stopped struggling against him and looked at him. "Save...me...?" I said in wonder.

"Yes. It's something I should have done before," he said as he moved forward and draped one of my arms across his shoulders while he slowly picked me up. I struggled against him a little, but he was able to keep me still easily. "I will be the savior you so desperately needed and still need."

"No...the water...it won't let it go. It doesn't want it to go back."

"Back where?"

"Back...back...back...to what it was...to who it was. 'A time aware lasts less than then a time oblivious' is what the water says to it."

"It? It who...who is It?"

I hesitated then and started to nod my head back and forth. "...The moon," I said at last. "It calls to Luna and tells her to stay. It wants her to shine her light in these dark, dank caves."

It was the first time I had seen daylight in fifteen days and I was momentarily blinded by the shear intensity of the light. The fresh air overwhelmed me. I was so used to breathing in the musky air from the cave that the scent of elfroot and other plants made me dizzy. I was no longer used to having an actual scent fill my lungs other than that of mold and blood.

Zach had stopped at the entrance of the cave and stood there, letting my eyes adjust. Then the familiar smell of blood tickled my nose once more when I looked around I saw them. "_No, their bodies." _Zach wasn't lying when he said he had killed them all. I saw them, lying on the ground covered in their own blood; slaughtered like dogs.

"Have your eyes adjusted yet?" Zach asked.

"Yes...yes..." I said, no longer in my fractured state, no longer able to hear the water at all, and no longer afraid. "Thank you...for your kindness."

"I'm sorry I didn't save you sooner," he said with sadness in his voice.

"As am I." I buried my head in his chest, and cried. I cried hard for the first time since this nightmare started. But I wasn't crying because of what had happened. I was crying in relief that the nightmare had finally ended.


	33. Chapter 33: The Truth of One's History

**Chapter 33**

"From there, Zach took me back to the village that the whole mess started in. He bought a horse and took me to Lothering; the place my family had agreed to meet in case our cover was blown. Once there I explained to my family that I had been captured by templars and interrogated for fifteen days before Zach broke me out and helped me get back to them.

"After my family bought that lie, Zach decided to stick around in Lothering and became a farmer. He had dropped the whole templar business after I told him some of the things that happened, like the beatings and being whipped. I didn't tell him about what Victor did though.

"Zach stayed close to us, protecting us; no, scratch that, protecting ME from the templars. But I was just grateful he was around" I said calmly. "He was always there for me, always saving me when I needed to be saved, and always fighting by my side." I was silent for a moment, then, having said everything that needed to be said I just let the tears fall down my cheeks.

"And that is the long version," I said looking back at Anders. "That's the whole story."

Anders looked at me with a mixture of expressions which mostly consisted of pain, sadness, helplessness, and disbelief. He couldn't believe something like that could happen to someone. I was the one who experienced it, and I still couldn't believe it. Things as terrible as that weren't supposed to happen to people. _"I'll bet even Varric would have difficulty coming up with a story like that and he has an AMAZING imagination."_

I leaned against the wall next to Anders' bed, hanging my feet off the side of it. "Not even Zach knew everything that happened," I said as a few tears streamed down his face. "I didn't want him to feel worse that he already did for the part he played in it." There was a long, heavy silence that followed my words, and even more tears fell down my face as I remembered Zach. I could recall almost everything about him, but I was starting to forget the sound of his voice and his laugh. He had such a musical laugh that I loved to hear. Sometimes I used to do stupid things intentionally just to make him laugh so I could hear it. The realization that I could no longer remember something of him was a blow to my heart. "_If I could forget something that seemed so insignificant when he was alive, could I forget him entirely?"_ More tears scorched a trail down my cheeks as a sob shook me. _"I already lost him once. Forgetting him is just like losing him all over again. I don't think I could live through that...Maker, I miss him."_

"How pathetic of me. I can't even tell a story about my own past without almost drowning all of Kirkwall in my tears." I laughed nervously at the end, trying not to show how distraught I truly was at the moment.

Anders finally spoke to me. He had remained silent throughout the entire story and now his voice sounded incredibly sad. "I'm...so...so sorry...Luna ...for bringing it up...had I known..." His voice trailed off and I saw a single tear fall from his eyes as he looked down at his hands.

"Hey," I said, getting his attention while grabbing his arm gently to get him to look at me. "I have never, ever, told this story to anyone. How would you have known?" I asked, adding a little smile at the end.

Anders looked deep into my eyes a little before finally saying anything again. "Thank you, Luna, for sharing this with me. I know it must be terribly painful to have to relieve those memories again on my behalf."

"Thank you for listening Anders." With that I got up and headed for the door.

I felt him grab my wrist though, and the memory of the shackles made me want to pull away, but he must have guessed that's what I was thinking because he quickly moved his hand to mine and my heart skipped a beat. _"His hand is so warm."_

"If you ever want to talk, I'll be here for you, Luna," he said.

His words made me want to melt in his arms, to be held and loved by him, but it didn't happen that way. Instead, I just stupidly turned around and said, "Didn't I make you that same offer weeks ago when we first met?" I smiled at him and my last tear rolled down my cheek.

I let go of his hand, grabbed my swords which were propped by the door in his room, and walked out of his room and his clinic. I felt his eyes on me the entire way. "_I'm surprised that he didn't say anything about my fiancé being a templar...well ex-templar."_

* * *

><p>As Luna was explaining how she got her scars, Justice's anger was pulsing through Anders' body along with his own. He could barely keep the spirit in check, from taking over, and throughout the story he would find himself closing his eyes or clenching his fists to stay in control. He was finding it difficult, but not impossible. He had to stay in control. If he didn't he'd probably hurt Luna more than she already is hurting and her eyes showed just how much pain she was in. It killed Anders to see such immense pain being reflected in her eyes and it made it difficult to look at her sometimes. But...when she left, she was smiling.<p>

After it was all said and done she still managed to joke, to be light hearted, and to smile. Terrible things happened to her, but she was still able to look past it all. She didn't let it cloud her judgment. Sure she believes that the templars treat the mages poorly and are too strict, but she also believes not all of them are bad and understands what they are trying to do. She is still open-minded even when she has every reason not to be.

"_Such a beautiful creature should not have to endure such terrible things,"_ Anders heard Justice think once Luna had finally disappeared into Darktown with her tear stained cheeks.

"_Agreed old friend, agreed."_ Anders knew that addressing the spirit as a separate entity didn't do much anymore. Just as Anders was aware that both he and the spirit were one, so too did Justice know that he no longer existed and considered himself as Anders now.

"_Why didn't I make her stay, to comfort her?"_

"_Because she wanted to go."_

"_I...do not understand. Not trying to help her makes no sense to me."_

"_The best way to help women is to listen to them when they need to be heard, comfort them when they are hurting, and give them space when they need it."_ It was a philosophy that Anders knew very well and one that he used often when he was younger (and before his merge with Justice) to get women into bed with him. The idea of doing such to Luna never crossed his mind though.

"_I still do not understand."_

"_In time, you will."_

Justice's thoughts were silent for a moment, allowing Anders time to clean up the blood stained cots and throw out the bandages that were too torn and frayed to be washed and reused. Even though Anders took residence in Darktown, which was basically Kirkwall's sewer, he still tried to keep things clean in his clinic. He tried to convince himself that it was mainly for his patients so that they wouldn't get infected, but it was just out of old habit having always worked in someplace relatively clean, or at least having someplace clean to return to whether it be the Circle or Vigil's Keep, when he was a Warden.

When Anders was satisfied that his clinic was somewhat clean, Justice stirred again._ "Where is she going to go now?"_

"_I thought she was just a distraction. Why do you care, Justice?"_ Anders let out a heavy sigh. Talking to Justice always gave him a terrible headache and the questions about Luna weren't putting him in a good mood, mainly because Justice didn't seem to like her.

"_She IS a distraction, but a great injustice was done to her. I should try to help her or rectify it."_

Anders thought for a minute. _"Where would she go?"_ He really had no idea. Luna didn't usually tell people everything and she was a hard one to figure out. When he had first met her, he thought that she was only helping someone in the hopes that she would be rewarded for it, but he had been completely wrong when he saw her turn down money from those in a worse position than she was in, and when she turned down her title as "hero."

"_Perhaps she is going to tell her family what happened to her now. She did say that I was the only one she told the truth about what happened to. Maybe she no longer wishes to hide from what happened. Maybe she doesn't want her family to be left in the dark about this part of her history anymore. If she does not want to hide then I should at least tell her other friends about it for her."_

"Justice, you're a genius," Anders said quietly to himself. _"I probably shouldn't tell the others without her permission though. She might kill me if I do."_ The realization of that made him laugh.

"_I shouldn't fear her...and I shouldn't leave the clinic. Someone might need me," _he heard Justice 'say' as he grabbed his staff and headed towards the door of his clinic.

"_I have every reason to fear her. She could kick my ass easily. And I shouldn't leave my clinic, but like Luna said: someone's always going to need help and not all of them are going to be serious."_

"_And if someone comes here with a life threatening injury and dies because I'm not here, then what?"_

This caused Anders to pause a moment before closing the doors to the clinic. _"Then I'll berate myself for it for the rest of my life like I always do and never leave this clinic again."_

"_Is that a promise?"_

Anders didn't respond to Justice's question, he just made his way through Darktown heading for the hovel Luna "lived" in. His mind didn't stay quiet, he was merely thinking of ways to convince Luna to let him tell the others and making sure that he didn't pay any attention to that question.

"_She'll probably insist that she should tell the story herself...One of these days her independence and kindness will get herself killed...of course the same thing could be said for me as well." _A faint smile touched Anders' lips as he made to the Moon.

* * *

><p>I walked silently all the way to Gamlen's hovel. "<em>It's time that Mother and Garrett know what really happened. It's time for me to stop running and hiding from my past"<em> The bustle of Darktown and Lowtown carried on without my notice. Nobody attacked me on my way and that's all I really cared about. I just wanted to tell them and get out of there. Maybe go to the Hanged Man, or back to Anders' clinic, but I didn't want to wait around to see their reactions after I told them.

When I walked in I saw both Garrett and Mother. Their eyes widened as I entered the "house." They weren't expecting me to be home so soon. They probably were hoping that I never did come back. I really didn't have much of a reason now. _"Now this is going to be fun."_

"All patched up now?" Garrett asked with a sneer.

"Yes, thank you all for showing some fucking concern about it," I said bitterly. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to remember when I was captured by templars that long time ago?"

"Yeah, why? You going to try to milk it for more attention?" Garrett glared at me. He had no idea where I was going with this and that pissed him off.

"No. You and Mother," I said while turning my gaze to her, and then back to Garrett, "need to hear what really happened."

* * *

><p>I didn't expect the tears, or the hug from Mother. I never expected Garrett would be silent throughout the entire thing, or that he wouldn't say anything smart assed afterwards. I was even more surprised when Mother and Garrett tried to get me to stay and not go to the Hanged Man...but I didn't want to stay. They would find some way to piss me off sooner or later.<p>

When I stepped out of the hovel I saw Anders leaning against the wall by the stairs. I was always good at sneaking up on people, and now that I had been trained in King Cailan's army and picked up a few tips from the Red Iron it was damn near impossible to hear me approach even when I _wasn't_ trying to be sneaky. That's why when I walked down the stairs and stood next to him he was startled at first, but he quickly regained his composure and he stood up away from the wall, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Go back to my clinic," he said softly. "I'll tell the others for you."

"No," I said, shaking my head, "if you're going to tell the others, I at least want to be there to add the _good _details," I added a small smirk at the end, trying to make this conversation a more lighthearted then the gloomy path it was heading for.

"Are you sure?" he asked with concern, ignoring my joke.

"Yeah."

Anders held out his arm to me and I took it. With a smile he said, "Very well, then," and both of us started towards the Hanged Man, where we knew at least two of our friends would be. There was also a small chance that Fenris and Aveline would be there, both of whom were probably trying to get information from Varric. He always knew what was happening in Kirkwall before it happened.

As the Hanged Man came into view I slowly let go of Anders arm, trying my best not to be rude while I did it. When I looked over at him he gave a small wink in understanding. _"There's no reason to add to Isabela's and Varric's fantasies they've created for Anders and I."_

"Are you sure you're sure about talking about this," he asked in the most confusing way I thought was possible at the moment, but seeing as I live with Garrett I was able to decipher what he said easily.

"Positive," I said with a smile that slowly faded as I became more serious. "Listen, Anders...thank you. I mean it. You don't have to do this and there's really no reason for you to...and...uh...it means a lot to me."

"You were there for me. I think the least I could do is return the favor," he said kindly as he smiled at me.

"Thank you." Then, without thinking, I stepped a little closer, stood up on my tippy toes, and gave him a kiss on the cheek which turned bright red as soon as I pulled away.

I quickly started to walk to the Hanged Man once again so that he didn't say anything that would make the situation more awkward then I had already made it. Thankfully, he just matched my pace and we silently closed the gap between us and the doors to the best tavern in Kirkwall. However, out of the corner of my eye I did see him bring his hand to where I had given him a kiss and could have sworn that there was a smile on his face.

When we entered the Hanged Man I was surprised to see that Isabela's usual spot was empty. She always stood next to the bar so that she could order her drinks with much more ease. I looked at Anders and he just shrugged. He didn't know where Isabela was either. _"Maybe she's talking with Varric."_

"We should find them quickly before my nerves break and I decide to run out of here," I said jokingly as we dodged drunkards passed out on the floor and avoided the many piles of vomit.

"You don't have to be here. You could go back—"

"I was kidding, Anders," I said with a smile, punching him in the arm lightly. "I'm fine."

"Ow!" he cried, mockingly, "that hurt!"

"Oh, please!" I laughed. "If I wanted to hurt you, you wouldn't be standing on your feet right now."

"Hmm, you do have a point there," he said, joining his laughter with my own.

We had just made it to the bottom of the stairs that lead to the rooms you could rent in the Hanged Man (why someone would actually want a room here is beyond me, and Varric only keeps one here so that he can escape the merchant's guild). Before we started up the stairs I looked over at Anders and saw that he was smiling and it wasn't one of those smiles he used to cover up what he was actually feeling.

"Stop right there," I said mischievously.

"What? Why?" he looked confused, but he still kept that smile of his dancing on his lips. I stepped in front of him and looked up into his eyes. _"His smile is so beautiful...and I hate being shorter than everyone."_

"You're smiling."

"Is that so weird? It's not the first time I smiled," he laughed.

"Yes, but this is a REAL smile. It isn't one of the fake ones you use to make everyone think you're fine."

"Well, it looks like everyone doesn't think that," he said, his smile fading just a little.

"I can only tell because I do the same exact thing," I responded with a smirk. As we started up the stairs I added quietly, "I'll tell them about it Anders. Might as well get it out while it's still fresh in my mind."

Anders looked as if he was about to protest, but he stopped himself and hung his head slightly. "Alright," was all he said.

Once we reached the door to Varric's room I could hear a very loud argument coming from within. I thought about entering, but my mind soon changed when I heard a loud thud that shook the whole wall. The argument that had started out verbal wasn't going to stay that way for very long. _"I think I'm going to stay out of the way for this one. Getting caught in the middle of someone else's fight isn't very fun."_

"It's your fault she got hurt, whore!" drifted from the crack from the door. Aveline's voice was unmistakable, especially when she's angry.

"Well, I didn't see you trying to keep her from getting hurt!" the 'whore' cried out, in an attempt to defend herself. Isabela no doubt was either trying to keep Aveline from hitting her or was trying to find a way to slap her without getting mauled.

"I was actually fighting and keeping myself from getting hurt so that she wouldn't have to end up doing something stupid! Last I looked you were just flailing about making it look like you were fighting! Your stupidity and incompetence almost got her killed!" Aveline roared, and I mean roared. She damn near shook the tavern.

"That's enough!" I heard Fenris yell almost as loud as Aveline had. "Luna wouldn't want us fighting with each other!"

"Broody's got a point you two," I heard Varric say, trying to be diplomatic.

"Yeah, well I'm not done fighting with this bitch," Isabela said.

"Bring it on, whore!"

"_Time for an intervention!"_ I kicked the door open and rushed in. Isabela was about to slap Aveline, and Aveline was about to knock Isabela's teeth out. The loud crash of the door distracted them for a second which gave enough time to get in between them. I then grabbed Isabela's wrist and twisted hard so that she spun around and had her back to me. In the same instant I managed hit the back of Aveline's knee with my own to throw her off balance, grab both of her arms, and use the straps of her "guardsmen's armor" to hold them behind her.

"Isabela, did you really think that slapping Aveline was going to do anything besides make you feel better and give you bragging rights?" I asked, but swiftly changed the subject so that I wouldn't get a snarky answer. "Aveline, just because you're a guard doesn't mean you can get away with murdering her."

"I can certainly try," she replied in a voice that sounded like she was forcing it to stay calm and even.

"Now I'm going to let you two go," I said ignoring Aveline's comment. "Continue fighting with each other and I'll be forced to hurt both of you."

"I won't fight with her anymore as long as you tell us about the scars Isabela saw on your back," Aveline said, her anger draining by the second.

"Agreed, but only for today," Isabela added in.

"I was planning to do that anyways. That's why I came here, but your guys' little fight threw me off schedule," I said with a smirk as I released both of them.

The two women glared at one another, both clearly unsatisfied with the ending of their fight, but they had said they wouldn't go at each other as long as I told them about the scars. _"I wonder how they'll react. I can be certain there at least won't be tears...hopefully. I have definitely had enough of the damn tears for today."_

"Alright, let's all just settle down and be quiet," Varric said, trying to diffuse the tension. "I'm eager to hear this story."

"I wonder if you'll have the same attitude towards it at the end," I chuckled to myself.

Isabela grabbed a chair and sat down, leaning back in it with her feet resting on the table. "If it was anyone else I would bet that it was just foreplay gone extremely wrong."

As I sat next to her I saw Anders wince before he settled into a chair next to Varric. They were both sitting by the fire on the opposite side of the table. Aveline stood at the end of the table closest to the door and farthest away from Isabela. Fenris was sitting on the other side of me with one arm draped over the back of the chair. All of them met my eyes except for Isabela, who was relaxing in that chair of hers, looking up at the ceiling that was plastered with cobwebs.

I looked down at my hands and shook my head. Laughing softly to myself I said, "You guys aren't going to believe me."

"Try us," I heard Fenris say.

Looking over at him I saw him give me a slight nod and his beautiful emerald eyes shined with understanding. I held his eyes with my own for a second before looking into the dancing flames across from me. _"Alright, time to tell this story one last time...hopefully."_

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

><p>"I always knew you were insane," Isabela said mockingly. She was still leaning on the back legs of her chair with her arms beneath her head and her legs up on the table.<p>

"Ha-ha, very fucking funny," I said in a dry tone before I quickly shot out my leg and kicked the underside of her chair as hard as I could. Isabela let out a startled cry as she crashed to the floor. The look on her face was priceless. Nothing but surprise was reflected on her face and her mouth that was gaping wide in horror as she fell, making her facial expression hilarious.

Despite the depressing mood my story had put everyone in they all chuckled or laughed when they saw her sprawled out on the floor.

"What in Andraste's name are you doing on the floor, Izz?" I asked innocently as I leaned back in my chair on its back two legs, brought my legs up onto the table, and put my arms behind my head. I was now in the same exact position Isabela had been in before she fell on the floor, mocking her in the most innocent way possible.

The slight laughter that had drifted through the room quickly turned into roaring laughter with some simple words and actions. It was a nice distraction and I was glad that for the moment we weren't talking about my past. I wasn't exactly eager for them to question me to death, or for them to treat me differently because they now knew what happened.

The laughter slowly faded out and the room became silent once more. Everything was becoming awkward. All of them avoided looking at me because of what I had told them. They didn't know what to say. _"No, that's not it. They all are trying to be careful with what they say or do around me now. It's what they'll continue to do from now on unless I find some way to get them to treat me like they always have."_

"Well, Luna, I have to hand it to you," Varric said, breaking the awkward silence. "You certainly know how to tell a story."

"The disturbing part is that it's not just a story, and that it's all fact," Fenris added bitterly. He looked disgusted now that our moment of normalcy was gone. "I can't believe those bastards did that to you. I wish that I would have been able to give them a death they deserve and not the merciful death they received from Zach." The rage in his voice and malicious look in his eyes was overwhelming. If Victor and Emile where still alive I would almost feel sorry for them when Fenris went after them. Almost.

"They were templars. What else did you expect?" Anders asked.

"Not all templars are as awful as that, though," Aveline commented quietly.

"Yeah, Wesley seemed like a good one," I said calmly, letting the conversation continue on as normal as it could possibly be at the time. I also, unknowingly, hit a nerve with Aveline.

"And you would know a "good one" when you see them?" Aveline said with her anger and voice rising in equal measure.

"Well, I've certainly met the worst so I think I can tell a good templar and man when I see one," I explained, still remaining calm.

"I-I guess you're right. I apologize if I seemed abrasive with what I said," Aveline stammered, realizing that what she said could possibly bring up the worst part of my story.

"So your fiancé was a templar?" Anders interrupted.

I let laughed quietly at that, "I was wondering when that question was going to come up. And yes, my fiancé, Zach, WAS a templar."

"So you almost became Luna Zaroff?" Varric asked with great interest, while most likely thinking of more interesting stories about me by the second. "That's actually got a nice ring to it."

"And that would explain your vast knowledge about the Fade and templars as well, correct?" Anders continued, trying to get us away from the more...disturbing topics this discussion could take.

"Partially," I answered half-assed-ly.

"And the other part?" Fenris asked, oddly intrigued. _"Probably wants to find out if I'm a mage in disguise or some bullshit like that."_

I closed my eyes for a bit before I abruptly stood up. "I believe that I have told you enough about me for one day." I then leaned over the table and looked all of them in the eye before continuing. "This stays between us, alright?"

"Can we tell Daisy?" Varric asked cautiously.

"If you want to," I said flatly before I stood up as tall as I could (which still wasn't very tall seeing as I'm incredibly short) and folded my arms across my chest. "And if any of you so much as think of treating me differently because of knowing this I will make you wish that you were in the Void." Then with a smirk and wink I added, "Trust me, I picked up a few good torture methods from those templars and I'm not afraid to use them."

A small moment of silence passed between us friends and I considered leaving, but Varric spoke up before I had a chance to move.

"Is it just me, or did Luna grow taller?"

I burst out laughing at this, along with the others. "I wish I had grown taller! I am so short!"

"You got that right," Fenris said with a smile. "I'm taller than you, and I'm an elf!"

That's when all of them joined in with pointing out and teasing me about how short I was. Even Varric joined in with teasing me about how short I was, and he was a dwarf! A dwarf! One of the shortest races in Thedas.

The teasing was just the beginning of a party, and even Anders joined in the merriment. We all ordered drinks for one another and Isabela and I quickly got drunk. Also, for the first time since they met, Anders and Fenris didn't fight with one another over mages and templars and all that other bullshit that got annoying to listen to after awhile. Aveline was getting annoyed with Varric, as usual, because he was trying to convince her to help him steal ownership of the Hanged Man since she was going to be Guard Captain and was going to have the strings to pull that could make it happen.

Our laughter and jokes filled the air, banishing the depressing past of mine to the shadows where it wasn't allowed to come out for the moment. There would no doubt be times where it would come back up and haunt my dreams or be mentioned amongst us in conversation, but I knew that all my friends would help me through it and didn't mean any harm by bringing it up. They were true friends and I knew that they wouldn't let someone's past change the way they acted towards them. For this, I was thankful.

~~.0.~~

* * *

><p><strong><em>So this tidbit on Luna's past was fun to write :) your feedback would be appreciated. <em>**

**_Ah, one more thing! Out of these three Fade Spirits, which do you like the most: Honor, Valor, or Fortitude? If you could tell me your answer in a review i would greatly appreciate it.  
><em>**


	34. Chapter 34: Clouds Covering the Son

**Chapter 34**

"Nicely done, Commander," Aveline joked.

"I'm not a commander anymore, Aveline. That title doesn't apply to me."

"Would you prefer I called you "hero" then?"

"Maker, no! That title never applied to me," I said as I tried to keep the blood pouring out of my nose off of my clothes. "And did you have to hit me in the face with your shield? I wasn't trying to hurt you."

"Yet you still managed to win that round along with all the other ones. I'm starting to think that this "practice" of yours is really just a way for you to show off," she laughed.

I furrowed my brows into a frown. The whole left side of my face hurt from when she smacked me in the face with her shield. Now my nose was bleeding profusely and I was most likely going to have a black eye because of her. _"It's been awhile since I've fought anyone with some skill. I'm going to have to practice a little more and as often as I can."_

"My poor nose," I whimpered jokingly. "Aveline, you should know by now that I don't NEED to show off. Everyone already knows how skilled I am." My voice came out funny because I had to plug my nose with a rag in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It was also muffled because my hand was covering my face.

"Yeah, and the ones that don't end up dead as a warning for others," she replied lightheartedly.

"Precisely!" I exclaimed and we both started laughing.

"Hey, do you have somewhere I can wash up and get all this blood off of me?" my nose had stopped gushing blood by now and my face was no doubt covered in it..

"Yeah, it's in the barracks. Second door on the left."

"What? No escort for the "Heroic Commander" of yours?" I laughed.

"Not when she refuses both titles!"Aveline said, joining in my laughter.

"Damn you and your logic!" I called over my shoulder as I headed for the barracks.

I could still hear her laughing even when I reached the other side of the practice area for the guards. _"Laugh it up Aveline,"_ I thought with a wicked smile. _"I'm going to get you good one of these days."_

While I made my way to the barracks a few of the guards I passed would give me weird looks. Some of them would even give me a wide berth as if the blood on my face was contagious. I found it a little odd that the people who were supposed to be protecting the streets at night from bandits and whatnot were doing their best to avoid me and my bloody face. _"If they're dodging blood now I wonder if they do things to avoid blood when they're on patrol. I don't think they should be avoiding blood when it comes to protecting people."_

"You like you've just come from the Void, Serah Hawke," said a teasing voice. I looked up to see guardsmen Donnic.

Donnic had been one of the guards set up by the previous Guard-Captain, Jevin, to be ambushed by thieves he owed debts to. Thankfully my brother and Aveline had gotten there in time to save him. They also managed to secure evidence against Jevin that resulted in his arrest. The combination of saving two of her fellow guards and showing Jevin for the snake he is put Aveline in the spotlight for being an outstanding guardsmen and the Viscount appointed her as the new Guard-Captain. _"And I was asleep through all of it, I believe. Or I was out hunting those flint company mercenaries with Anders."_

"Well, I just got back from practicing with Aveline so what else would you expect? And please don't call me that. Everyone calls me Luna. Garrett's "Serah Hawke," not me." I said with a smirk.

"Very well, and do I need to send for a doctor to take a look at Aveline then?" he asked.

"No. I thought that our practice today was going to involve us NOT trying to hurt each other, but she apparently didn't receive the same message as me," I joked and was rewarded with thunderous laughter coming from Donnic.

"Did she at least win?"

"Of course she didn't win!" I exclaimed. "I'm way too charming to lose to her."

I had to wait for Donnic to quit laughing before he was able to say anything more. He was laughing so hard that he almost cried. "Don't you mean skillful?" he finally managed to gasp out once his fit of laughter lessened in intensity.

"That too," I said, before I also started to laugh uncontrollably.

The two of us just stood there laughing for awhile, receiving many dirty looks from the other guards as if we were distracting them or something. Finally we were able to force ourselves to stop laughing and instead started to breath heavily. _"At least he's much more fun to talk to than the other guards. Some of those bastards can be so stuck up sometimes."_

"I imagine you're going to go clean up then," he finally said.

"That's the plan."

"Alright, I'll go clear the other guards out of the washroom for you then and make sure none of them go in while you're cleaning up."

"Why do you need to clear the other guards out?" I asked.

"Because most of them are men and they can be quite...rowdy at times," he said with a smile that was growing by the minute.

"I see," I said with a smile. "Then I thank you very much for doing so then."

"Not a problem, Luna," he replied before walking off towards the washroom.

As I stood there, waiting, I heard a commotion from the room Donnic had just gone into before the door crashed open and several men came running out followed by Donnic who walked out in a much more calm state then the others. _"I wonder what he did or said to get them to leave so quickly."_ Donnic glanced around before he finally spotted me in the exact spot I had been in when he left and motion for me to come over.

"I'll stay outside the door and make sure they don't come back and bother you," he said politely.

"Thank you, Guardsman Donnic," I was halfway through the doorway to the washroom before I paused and looked back at Donnic. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you do to get them to leave so quickly?"

A smile brightened Donnic's features as he said, "I told them that Luna Hawke, the toughest woman in all of Thedas, was coming to use the washroom and that if a man even so much as thought about looking at her...assets that she would cut off...something very important to a man."

I again found myself having difficulty breathing due to my laughter as I closed the door to the washroom._ "Well, that's not far from the truth."_ The fact that Donnic had been able to come up with something that witty and funny as quickly as he did also amazed me. He was one of the most straight forward guys I had ever met and I had only talked to him on random occasions such as this one.

When I calmed down and looked around I saw that there was a basin of water in front of a small looking glass with some washcloths beside it. As I walked over towards it I was a little timid at what I would see. I was afraid that my face looked worse than I thought it did, but as I came closer I soon realized that I had been able to keep most of the blood that had been pouring out of my nose from coating my entire face. I was thankful for that because I really was getting tired of being covered from head to toe in blood and I have always been slightly self-conscious about how I look to others.

Leaning in close to the looking glass I dipped one of the washcloths into the water and started to wipe away the blood. There was a small bruise and cut on my left cheek from Aveline's shield and the skin around my left eye was starting to darken into the makings of a nice shiner. _"Lovely. Another black eye is just what I need."_

It had been a month since I was been injured while helping Aveline clear out bandits; one month since I had told all my friends about my past experience with templars. In that time Garrett and I, with the help of our friends, had managed to save thirty-five sovereigns up for the expedition and Garrett was almost giddy with anticipation even though we still had a ways to go before we reached our goal of fifty. Garrett also wasn't as much of an ass hole as he usually was since I told him the truth about my "interrogation." Though I had hoped no one would treat me differently I was rather grateful that Garrett wasn't being a complete dick to me anymore. It made being around him less insufferable.

Things were still as normal as ever, though, even with the revelation of my past.

Varric kept on trying to ferret out more stories of my past from me during that time. He usually tried to get information about Ostagar, like how I became a commander and was revered as a hero by King Cailan himself. "War stories are always the best" is all that he would tell me when I asked why he wanted to know about my days in the army. He also proved time and time again that he was one of the best sources of information in Kirkwall. I had a few of my own contacts that I picked up from my time in the Red Iron to supply me with information, but they had nothing on Varric's "spy network" he said he had.

Isabela hadn't moved from her spot in the Hanged Man in the past month unless we asked her for help on a job. She was always drunk as usual and was always trying to get me to sleep with her. She never asked Garrett to s join her in bed, though, which I thought was ridiculously funny. She also kept her ear to the ground in the hopes that she would find information about that relic of hers she lost.

Aveline was now Guard-Captain after the training and paperwork had been completed and was very busy. She still managed to find time to tag along on jobs even with her new duties and she even had time to practice with me every other morning to keep our skills up even if our enemy's were down. Having her in the guard was kind of a double edged sword, too. It meant that she could get us information not exactly intended to be released to the public, and, unfortunately, that she was always keeping tabs on us and giving us lectures when we did something that was rather shady and possibly illegal.

Fenris was still his broody non-shoe wearing self and had taken to squatting in the mansion of his former master. This sometimes required Varric or Isabela to pull a few strings to keep people from sniffing around the place. He wasn't a complete stick-in-the-mud, though, seeing as he would often join Varric, Isabela, and I at the Hanged Man after dark for drinks and lose at rounds of Diamondback and Wicked Grace. He never did have time to just talk or spend a day with us though because Garrett was always asking for his help on any job that so much as looked like it needed brute force involved. It was quite annoying actually.

Merrill had settled in nicely in the alienage and had already made a few "friends" with the other elves that lived there. She rarely came out of her little home for much, occasionally to go to the Hanged Man and whenever we asked for help (which wasn't very often seeing as having a blood mage tagging along in a place that was swarming with templars wasn't a good plan, ever). It had, in fact, been and incredibly long time since I had seen her, so today I decided to pay her a visit and say hello.

How Anders was doing was something I did not know. Ever since he had to save my ass I had been avoiding him. I didn't visit and I didn't want to ask for his help that much because it felt wrong. He was a healer in Darktown that helped others for free. Every time that I stopped by to talk or to ask for help I felt as if I was taking away from the people that need his help. I was also afraid that I was becoming annoying and didn't want to bug him.

"_I'm glad things haven't been moving so quickly for a change. The job's Garrett and I are taking now aren't as physically demanding as my past jobs which involved me killing a bunch of things."_ I double checked my reflection in the looking glass before I was satisfied that I had scrubbed of all the blood. _"I look pretty good if I don't say so myself, though my white eyes are a little creepy. White irises outlined by a thin black line on the outer edge. You don't see too many people with that kind of eye coloration. Now that I think about it. I don't think I've seen anyone with eyes as creepy as mine. Well, except for maybe Flemeth's eyes. Of course she was just plain creepy to begin with."_

With a sigh I finally set down the washcloth I had been using. It was now stained with blood and I felt bad about leaving it there, but I had no clue as to what I should do with it. I hoped that the guards or whoever cleaned this place wouldn't mind as I exited the washroom.

"All done?" Donnic asked as I walked out of the room.

"Yes, thank you Donnic for...keeping guard," I said as a small smile spread across my lips.

He chuckled lightly before adding, "Have a good day Luna."

"You too," I called over my shoulder before I left the barracks.

It was unfortunate that the only way to leave the barracks and get to Hightown was to go through the Viscount's Keep. I would love it if I could go without all the sneering nobles looking down at me. What's worse is that they literally look down at me. _"Curse my shortness!"_

My shortness didn't keep me from intimidating them though; whenever I noticed a noble staring at me with a disgusted look I would give them my own menacing look to compliment theirs. The reactions I got from them were the best. Some of them would quickly look away, others would look fearful, and the best reaction of all was when some of those nobles would take a step backwards as if I were contagious, or about to kill them or something. I had to clench my teeth firmly together to keep myself from laughing at times.

Once outside of the Keep I looked up at the sky only to have my hopes of a good day shattered. There were huge, dark rolling clouds off in the distance that had an arrangement of grey and black colors painted across them. The clouds seemed to be in the shape of tidal waves much like those you expect to see crash against the shores, yet these were crashing against the sky with the same destructive intent. However destructive these clouds may be, there was still beauty in them that was caused by the bright blue sky which accented them, creating a surreal image that could not be matched by any other. A strong gust of wind caused me to involuntary shiver from the cold that had been carried on it and, to my dismay, the gust did not dissipate. Instead, it continued to blow, becoming a strong wind that was caring those malicious clouds towards Kirkwall. _"A storm is coming." _

Not wanting to be caught in the rain I hurried off in the direction of Lowtown. I wanted to get my business done before this storm hit and I wasn't the only one with the same goal. People all around Hightown were running around whether it was to get to their homes or destinations. _"I don't think I've ever seen nobles move this quickly."_

* * *

><p>Lowtown was much of the same scene as Hightown although there were more people running about and none of them looked ridiculous as they ran like the nobles did. The quickened pace of everyone allowed me to get through quite easily and I didn't need to slow down for anyone that was in front of me as much as I usually did, making the trek to Merrill's home much faster than I anticipated. In fact, I was in front of her door before I even knew it.<p>

I knocked on the door three times. There was no answer and I started pacing in front of the door. I did not want to get stuck in the rain and was hoping that Merrill would come to the door before I decided to break it down due to my impatience that was growing rather rapidly.

"She's not here, Serah," came a voice from behind me.

Not knowing who was speaking I quickly whipped around to see who had spoken, my right hand flying to the hilt of my sword in anticipation for a fight. Whoever had snuck up behind me had done something rather foolish. Startling an armed and skilled fighter who was already on edge was not the best way to keep your life.

When I saw that it was just a small elven woman that posed no threat to me I inwardly sighed. "Where is she then?" I asked while relaxing my muscles that had tensed up in preparation for a fight.

"I'm not sure, but I saw her leave this morning and she hasn't come back yet," the elven woman replied innocently.

"Thank you for telling me this," I said and offered up a smile.

"It was no problem," she said before turning around and running away.

"_Shit! Not here. Guess I'll have to visit some other time. I wonder where she is...probably playing in the Viscount's gardens again." _I closed my eyes and I folded my arms across my chest, stood in front of Merrill's door for a second and tried to figure out what I was going to do before the storm came. _"I could go back to the hovel and be bored or I go to the Hanged Man and get drunk with Izz. I don't think I really even need to put some thought as to which I'm going to choose."_

As I stood there I realized that I could no longer feel the sunlight on my skin and that the air had gotten drastically colder. _"The clouds must be overhead now. Won't be long before the rain comes."_ The wind had picked up quite a bit too, yet I was still able to hear the most peculiar conversation coming from behind me.

"I am sorry for your loss, mistress. I can offer your son mercy only if he turns himself in," I heard the voice of a man say.

"I'm trying to find him but..." came the response of a distressed woman.

"The templars cannot tolerate apostates," said the same man who had spoken before, cutting the woman off mid-sentence. _"Templars! I should help that woman...and her son."_

I could hear the footsteps as someone walked away, along with the sobbing of a woman. Opening my eyes, I dropped my arms to my sides and turned around. A blonde haired elf was crying over by the large, painted tree in the middle of the alienage that really had no purpose. The tattoos on her face marked her as a Dalish elf, or former Dalish elf seeing as she is in an alienage and not with her clan. With soft steps I made my way towards her.

"It sounds like your son is in trouble. Is there any way I can help?" I asked, trying to sound as caring as I could. _"I'll need to be very good at convincing people I care with this shiner and cut on my cheek making me look rather UN-friendly."_

"You-You heard all of that and still you would help? An apostate? Oh, thank you," she sighed with relief, clasping her hands together as if her prayers had been answered. She then stood up a little taller and began to explain what was going on. "I am Arianni. My boy, Feynriel, he's all I have, all my family. When I learned he had magic I could not bear to send him to the Circle. But his connection to the Fade gives him nightmares, dreams of demons speaking in his mind." Arianni paused for a moment before hanging her head and adding more quietly, "I would rather lose him to the Circle than himself."

"What would you have me do?" I asked calmly while shifting my weight to one leg as if this was something I did all the time. _"It actually is something I do all the time. Living in a family of apostates I had to help them and keep them out of danger all of my life. Did I ever get a thank you for it? No. Ungrateful, mage bastards."_

"Just find him, please. Bring him somewhere safe," she looked back up and into my eyes with hope and determination shining in her own. "I don't know where Feynriel is, but I know two places you might start you search," she said confidently. "Ser Thrask has been looking for him. If you speak to him in the Gallows he'll be able to tell you what ground he's already covered. And Feynriel's father, Vincento, recently returned from Antiva. He's a merchant in the Lowtown Bazaar. Feynriel might have sought him out."

"I will not leave you fearful for a moment longer than necessary," I said earnestly.

"Thank you. It has been a lonely time hiding. It's almost a relief to finally confront this openly," she responded sadly.

"It is no problem." With a slight bow of my head I walked quietly towards the steps that led out of the alienage.

As I made my way up the stairs I forgot about the impending threat of the rain and tried to figure out how I should deal with this wayward son of Arianni's. _"There must be some way for me to help Feynriel without sending him to the Circle...but I have no clue how... Maybe Anders could help. He knows a thing or two when it comes to being an apostate that escaped and is avoiding the Circle, but I shouldn't come to him asking for help until I have a lead on Feynriel's whereabouts." _An uneven top step jarred me from my thoughts as I crashed to the ground.

I let out a hiss of annoyance as pain shot up my leg from my ankle. _"Damn stairs sprained my ankle! Ooohh, if they weren't inanimate objects they would so be dead right now!"_ I gingerly picked myself up of the ground being careful not to put any weight on my ankle. After I had dusted my armor off I hobbled forward a couple of steps to figure out the full extent of the damage. _"Yup, it really fucking hurts to put any weight on it. Great...first a bloody nose, black eye, and cut up and bruised cheek. Then, an apostate mage that is being hunted by templars and Maker knows what else. And now I've got a sprained ankle. The sad part is that there are probably still worse things to come. Curse my rotten luck!"_

The brisk pace I had been walking earlier was impossible for me to continue and I was forced to limp all the way to the stall that had a sign saying "Vincento's Northern Merchandise" painted on it. I knew that it wasn't smart to jump to conclusions, but something told me that the merchant named Vincento I was looking for might be the man who was running that stall. It was just a hunch though.

Once I reached the Bazaar I picked out the stall easily and limped towards it. With so few people out and about some of the merchants were packing up. Luckily, Vincento's stall was still open.

"Greetings, my lady. You look like a woman who'd appreciate the finest rubies from Antiva gracing her lovely neck," said Vincento in a very thick Antivan accent. "I bring only the best northern merchandise to the Free Marches."

I folded my arms impatiently across my chest and cocked my head to the side. "Actually, I'm more interested in your son."

"My lady! I am a bachelor. I have never met a woman of sufficient beauty and charm to tie Vincento down," he said with a look that could be seductive and a fake laugh that showed his interest. _"Andraste's flaming ass, I get so sick and tired of people hitting on me all the damn time. This man is lying through his teeth to protect himself instead of his son, and I intend to get any information he has from him if it's the last thing I do. Not to mention he pissed me off immensely when he referred to himself in the third person. I can't stand it when people do that."_

"Who says you have to tie the knot to have a son with a Dalish elf?" I responded angrily. "Your son is in danger and I wish to help him. Quit covering your own ass and tell me anything you know about where he is so that I can."

"How do you-" Vincento narrowed his eyes at me. "Of course Arianni told you. Did she tell you that the reason he ran away was because of her? No? Hmph. Looks like she left out one of the important details." He then crossed his arms, "And do you really expect me to trust the word of some random woman that limps up here looking like she just got her ass kicked in a fight?"

"Yes I do," I said, straitening my stance a little more to look more confident than beaten. "I have protected my brother and sister from exactly what your son fears. You have nothing else to trust me on other than my word and I'm asking you, please, let me help your son. I will not abandon someone in need when I know I can do something to help."

Vincento was quiet for a moment. "You know what, I actually believe you," he finally said. "The boy's in over his head, so I sent him to the only man I know that doesn't despise mages. A former templar by the name of Samson."

"Does this Samson live somewhere in Kirkwall?" I asked.

"No. He is a wanted man." Vincento said rather quickly. _"Figures." _"He stays out of sight during the day. At night, he stays at the edge of Lowtown, near Darktown. That's the best place to find him."

"Thank you, serah," was all I was able to get out because lightning exploded across the sky and was followed by a loud, earth shattering crash of thunder. Then, the sky opened up and released thousands upon thousands of rain drops on all of Kirkwall. _"'Tears of the Maker shed for his fallen bride, Andraste, and the trespasses that were committed against her.' A pretty story told to an innocent little girl, who didn't know any better, by her father. A father who tried to keep her unafraid during one of the few times he paid any attention to her."_

The rain poured from the sky and hit any exposed surface hard with its resonating song that was now the only thing that could be heard. Another flash of lightning flickered across the sky, sending many bolts of light to scatter and dance across the vicious clouds. With the rumble of the thunder following in pursuit I backed away from Vincento's stall and stood in the middle of the Bazaar, letting the sky's tears fall on me with no resistance. I looked up at the sky to marvel at its deadly beauty.

The wind had gotten stronger and was knocking everything that wasn't secure around with ease. Its fierceness also caused the rain to sting as it hit my skin and burn it with a cold chill caused by a mixture of the blowing wind coupled with the frozen rain. But despite all this unpleasantness, it was still pure bliss.

Just standing there, letting the rain trickle across my skin allowed me to forget everything. The pain in my ankle, the chill of the rain, the pain of my past, or the everyday worry that my friends will be hurt or captured... All of them were forgotten. I had no more worries, no more problems...they were just gone. Washed away by the cleansing rain that came from the darkened sky. But, with another loud roar of thunder I was brought back to reality and forced to face the path set before me and the task that I had promised to complete. _"Looks like I'm going to have to pay this ex-templar a visit tonight. I should try and enlist Anders help. He knows more about this kind of stuff than I do...maybe I could also get Varric and Fenris to help as well."_

With a heavy sigh I turned to face the direction the Undercity was in. _"Hopefully by the time I filled Anders in on the situation the rain might have stopped."_ Shaking my head in an attempt to get the water off of my face and out of my eyes I started to limp through the rain with extra careful steps so as not to make my sprained ankle worse than it already was.

The rain chased me all the way there, chilling me to the bones and stinging my skin like bees but without leaving any marks.

* * *

><p>As soon as I entered Darktown I was greeted with no rain and very little wind. My armor was already drenched with cold water though, so I carried a lovely reminder of what I had to walk through to get here with me. <em>"Whoever said that storms are the most beautiful thing to experience clearly didn't have to limp through them, slowly, with a sprained ankle that enjoyed reminding you just how much of a fucking klutz you are with a great deal of pain. Fucking stairs. Why did it have to be uneven and cause me to trip? I didn't do anything to them...except fall on them."<em>

"_Maker, I hate the Undercity."_ I unsheathed my swords and continued to limp towards Anders' clinic. Normally I don't have to worry about getting attacked, therefore I never need to unsheathe my swords in advance, but because I was limping I had a feeling that the thugs down here might think I'm easy prey. With my swords already out though, I might have a chance at still looking intimidating enough to get them to stay away.

And I apparently did look intimidating enough since I made it to the stairs leading to Anders' clinic without incident. "Fucking stairs," I muttered under my breath as I buckled down and fought through the pain from my ankle in protest as I continued.

The door to the clinic was open, as it usually is, and I limped in as quietly as I could, hoping that Anders wouldn't see me and feel obliged to heal my ankle. Thankfully he had his back to me and I walked in unnoticed. Only when I stopped a few steps passed the door did he look over his shoulder and noticed I was there.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd finally come back down here," he said as he turned around to face me. He sounded...annoyed and angry, but I had no idea why he would be. "Do you need any healing? Is that all I'm good for?"

"No. I'm fine and—"

"That doesn't exactly look "fine" to me," he said as he pointed to my black eye and bruise.

"That was practice with Aveline. And what did you mean by "all I'm good for?" Why are you so angry?" I asked. _"I haven't done anything have I?"_

"Did you realize how bad it makes you look to run around with a Fereldan refugee that lives in Darktown?" He folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes at me. "Garrett told me about how you're both the descendants of the great Amell's, an important noble family that's always taken residence in Hightown and been worshipped by the other nobles. I just figured that you of all people wouldn't let such a title go to your head. Guess I was wrong seeing as you haven't come down here in a while," he spat out angrily.

"Is that why you're so angry? Because you think I'm putting on airs? Who gave you that ridiculous idea?" I demanded, while putting all my weight on my good ankle because I could no longer put any of it on the one I sprained.

Anders' eyes closed for a just a fraction of a second before they opened once more to reveal that they weren't the beautiful and caring amber eyes they always were, but were the blue and white ice of Justice. Blue cracks of light appeared on his body as my necklace burned in a warning that was a little too late.

"**No, it is not a ridiculous idea! It is better if I thought of you as some selfish noble rather than anything else! You have been nothing but a distraction to me! You keep me from doing what needs to be done!"** His voice was booming and morphed until it no longer sounded like Anders...or human. **"You and your brother come down here asking for my aid, and for what? Personal gain! You do nothing to do to help others that are suffering around you unless you get something in return! You never take anything seriously and are always trying to be charming or witty! Only once have I known you to show true emotions with a real reason behind them!"** Anders took a step towards me, and breathing heavily with clenched fists was all I could do to keep myself from backing away in fear. **"You claim that some of your actions are justified, but they're not! You seek only worldly possessions! You only seek to help yourself!"**

"That is not true, **Justice**. I do not seek only personal gain! You are confusing me with my brother," I said strongly, gaining a bit of confidence with every word. "**Anders** would not say these things because he knows, and has seen, how kind and caring I can be. He has seen that I care more for others than myself. He **knows** that your words are not true."

A sudden flash of light poured from the windows for a fraction of a second. It was followed by a slow, loud, and long roar of thunder. It seemed as if Mother Nature was reenacting the battle between Justice and I with its thunder and lightning. Justice was the lightning because he was quick, strong, and rash. I was the thunder in the sense that, like thunder, I was always there, I could endure/last a long time, and could be loud when I needed to be._ "A storm out there, a war in here._

"**Lies**," he hissed.

"Anders!" I boomed. "It is the truth, you know it its!" I waited half a second before continuing. "I came down here to ask for your help in finding a young, scared apostate boy that is trying to run from the templars on his own," my voice had become softer as I noticed that I got Justice's attention. "I am not doing this for a reward. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do."

Justice stood motionless for a bit before he closed his eyes. The cracks of blue light that were on Anders' body vanished. When Anders opened his eyes, they were his natural, beautiful amber color once more. Justice was gone...for the moment along with my fear of becoming his target practice.

"Wh-What happened?" Anders asked as he messaged his forehead with his knuckles. My heart swelled with relief with the realization that it was actually him, and not Justice, talking once more. _"He must not be able to remember much when Justice takes over...It would probably be best to not let on to what just happened."_

"What? Can't remember that you just called me an insufferable bitch and accusing me of putting on airs?" I said in a very bitchy and annoyed tone while putting on my best poker face and lying to make things better for the both of us, or at least him_. "What Justice had said...hurt...but there is no way that I will ever bring it up."_

He looked at me with a puzzled look and frowned in a tell tale sign that he was trying his hardest to remember. _"He still doesn't have a clue as to what happened. I need to get him to think of something else before that spirit fills him in on the gap in his memory."_

"Ok, I made that 'insufferable bitch' part up, but the 'putting on airs' bit still stands," I folded my arms and cocked my head on the side. "Where did you get that idea?"

"I—"

I held up my hands to stop him while I interrupted. "Whatever," I said as I rolled my eyes and continued to sound like a bitch, "it doesn't matter. What matters is that I came down here to ask for your help in finding an apostate boy that is trying to get away from the templars and Circle and will ultimately fail. I wish to prevent that from happening and hopefully find someplace better to send him other than the circle. That's where you come in," I finished.

"Fine, I'll help," he said. A look of uneasiness passed through his eyes for just a moment before it was gone. He was suspicious of me, but he didn't pursue it. "Now, why are you only putting your weight on one leg?"

"Because I can?" I said with a smirk.

Anders fixed me with the "not funny" look and I gave up on the idea that I could get out of here without him healing me. _"Such is life I guess. You try not to be a burden and bug apostates that are doing good and you end up being scolded by a spirit. That probably happens to everyone, right?"_

"Oh alright, I sprained it."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. He pointed to one of his wooden cots and said, "Sit."

"I'm not a dog," I remarked as I limped over to where he pointed. Even though he probably covered his mouth with his hand I could still hear him laughing at me.

After I had somehow managed to make it to that cot and sit down, Anders came over and knelt in front of me to tend to my ankle after I gave him a cold stare for laughing at me. I could still see a small smile touching the corners of his lips as he was healing me though.

"So, you going to fill me in on what you're keeping from me?" he randomly asked.

"What are you talking about?"

Anders then stood up and leaned in close to me. He had both hands on either side of where I was sitting and looked me square in the eye. I could feel his breath on my face as he said, "Do you think me the fool, Luna? You said so yourself that I didn't call you an insufferable bitch and I don't ever recall saying that you were putting on airs," he was quiet for a moment. "What aren't you telling me?" he added in firmly.

I let a sneer cover my face in an attempt to get back off the subject. "It's not that hard to put two and two together, Anders...and I'm not stupid. I can tell when something is of Garrett's doing when I see it. I can't believe that YOU actually believed that bastard though."

"But you haven't been down here in about a month," he protested.

"Because I didn't want to bother you. Every time I came down here and asked for your help or came just to talk it felt as if I was taking away from the people you were trying to help and I didn't want to do that," My voice was now cold and calm. I could see that this wasn't getting anywhere. "Don't worry. The name Amell means nothing to me."

In one swift motion Anders backed away from me and closed his eyes. For a moment I was afraid that Justice was trying to take control again and would succeed, but Anders finally spoke again. "Alright, like I said before, I'll help you find the apostate and figure out something better than the Circle. Odds are that he hasn't had any training and that's dangerous...especially in the case of demons."

"Right," I said with a nod. "So, meet me at the Hanged Man before dark?"

"Very well."

I got up and made my way towards the door. Just as I was about to leave I looked back at Anders. "If you get there before I do could you do me a favor and try to convince Varric to come along? He's got a good shot and we could use the help."

"Didn't you give him your word that you wouldn't bring him along if you knew it involved mages or templars?" he asked with a snicker. "Last I looked, this job involved both."

"Doesn't mean I can't ask."

"So it's just going to be you, Varric and I doing this?"

"No. I'm going to ask someone else to help."

"Who?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You'll see," I said as I turned back around disappeared into Darktown. _"Yup, he's still pissed off at me. That's just great...At least it I haven't heard thunder in a while. Maybe the storm's died down a bit...or it's just the eye. Maker, Anders is going to be abso-fucking-lutely ecstatic when he finds out that Fenris, if he can, is going to help us."_

"_Justice...Anders was right to warn me away from him, but I can't let on bad thing cloud all the good he does...can I?"_

~~.0.~~

* * *

><p>If you guys see anything that is incorrect (i.e. grammar, spelling, phrasing) please let me know so I can fix it. Thanks for reading.<em><br>_


	35. Chapter 35: Splintering Blood

**Chapter 35**

The rain had let up a great deal once I emerged from the depths of the Undercity. This made walking to Hightown a little less soggy, not that it mattered, though. I was already soaked and a little more rain really wasn't going to make that any worse._ "I would take walking in the rain over getting in an argument with Anders, and then Justice, any day."_ There, also wasn't any more lightning striking close by, though you could still see it dancing on the clouds further away. The thunder was much quieter as well, with only the occasional exception here and there depending on ferocity of the lightning in the distance._ "At least I don't have to limp through this storm anymore. Thank the Maker for small mercies I guess."_

Everything here seemed so much better when you walked through it with the lazy dripping of rain to set pace. There wasn't any rush and nobody was shoving you out of the way to get somewhere. The threat of cutpurses was still a possibility, but a very slim one, and all the bright and ridiculous colors that screamed for your attention were now soaked and darker, making this part of the city much more beautiful than most would think possible. It made this part of Kirkwall a little more serene...but I couldn't dwell on that. Right now, I needed to come up with a way to convince Fenris to help me with this runaway son.

"_And I'm drawing a blank on ideas right now. Wonderful...Looks like I'll try the honest approach and tell him everything. He might agree simply because I didn't withhold any information from him."_ I let out a heavy sigh as I came to stand in front of the door to Fenris' mansion. Not wanting to waste anymore time, I opened the door and walked in. _"He really should lock that door. Thugs will eventually take advantage of it even if they know a dangerous escaped slave is living here."_

"Hey Fenris! You in here!" I called out from the door before making my way further into the mansion.

Fenris didn't use many of the rooms and he left the space he didn't use as it was. This meant that almost the entire mansion looked as if it was about to come crashing down at any moment. How he could stand having this place look so terrible was beyond me. _"If I had a mansion I know that without a doubt I would want it to be spotless and presentable. There's no way that I'll ever have a mansion, but if I did I wouldn't let it rot away to nothing like Fenris is doing."_

"Luna, is that you?" I heard Fenris call out from his room before he finally came out to great me.

"Nope, it's Garrett," I said with a smirk. _"I am not going to let that awful argument I had with Justice ruin my day_." I saw a small smile touch Fenris' lips as I continued. "I was practicing magic this morning and accidently turned myself into a woman." I slowly turned around in a circle to show off "my knew look" and jokingly, asked, "How do I look?" The only answer I got from him was laughter. I laughed with him as well. I thought that the answer I came up with was brilliant. _"Apparently he's not going to hit on me today."_

"What happened to your face?" he asked calmly after our laughter had subsided.

"Practice with Aveline, and before you ask, no, I did not hurt her. She just cheated and hurt me. Not that it did any good. I still won."

He chuckled lightly at that. "So, do you need help with anything," he asked, "or is this your way of escaping from Garrett?"

"You know, I actually haven't seen Garrett all day." I paused for a moment, deep in thought, before finally continuing the conversation. "And yes, I am here to ask you if you could help me with something, but you're going to hate me for what I'm about to ask."

"Let me guess, it involves mages," he said flatly.

"Only one mage, a young apostate that is running from the templars. I want to get to him before they do because there's no telling what they'll do to him."

"They'll probably do what's necessary."

I exhaled deeply, realizing that there was no way to convince him that wasn't true. "Listen, I know we don't see eye to eye on these kinds of matters, but I don't really care. I just want your help because you're good in a fight and I hate having to be the only one attacking with swords. It would be nice to have someone like you watching my back." I tried my best to make that as non-offensive as I could. _"I already got a spirit to get pissed off with me; the last thing I want is to piss off a Tevinter slave with the ability to rip out people's hearts out with nothing but his hands."_

Fenris closed his eyes. He was obviously thinking on what I had just said and asked. "I'll help you Luna," he said, making me sigh with relief, "but did you really think I was going to hate you for asking me to help you do something I don't exactly agree with?"

"That not what you're going to hate me for," I answered flatly. "What you're going to hate me for is this: I asked Anders to help as well."

"Well, at least you're not stupid like your brother, and realize how much a I hate that abomination," he said with a frown.

"If knowing that he's coming along causes you to change your mind on helping then that's fine," I said trying to be diplomatic. "I can ask Izz to help or something."

Fenris shook his head at that idea. "No. I'll still help, but I can't promise that the mage and I won't fight."

"Then it looks like he'll be pissed off at you and me both," I muttered under my breath.

"Did you say something?"

"Nope," I said enthusiastically while showing off my charming smile. "Meet us at the Hanged Man before the sun goes down?"

"I'll be there," he said with a nod. He then turned away from me and disappeared into one of his rooms, leaving me alone with my thoughts. _"What, in the Maker's name, am I thinking? Having Fenris and Anders in the same place is like sticking a dog and a cat alone in a room. One of them is going to wind up trying to kill the other."_

* * *

><p>Somehow I ended up at the Hanged Man before I needed to be and was now sitting at one of the broken tables with a half empty drink in my hand and my head resting on the table. No, not resting. Resting is too nice of a word. What really happened is that when I realized how much my life sucked, since I now had Anders and most likely Fenris mad at me, I let my head fall and smash against the table and was too lazy to sit back up.<p>

"Make'rs breath, Luna! You look terrible," came a familiar voice.

I lifted my head up a little to take another swig of my drink. "Love you too, Varric," I said sarcastically before letting my head fall back onto the table.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" he said calmly. I heard the scraping of a chair's legs against the floor as he pulled up a chair and sat across from me.

"I somehow managed to piss off Anders, and now both he and Fenris are supposed to help me find an apostate that's running from the templars," I groaned.

"Wow...you're royally fucked," Varric said without any emotion.

"No shit," I scoffed as I blew my bangs out of my face. "Hey, Vaarrriiiccc," I said sweetly while drawing his name out.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. Every time you use that tone of voice I know you're going to ask me to do something I'm not going to like," Varric said.

"Could you come along and keep me from slaughtering them both...please?" I continued to use my sweet and innocent voice. It always worked on him.

"Oh...alright...I guess I'll help, but you owe me a pint when we get back. Agreed?" he finally said.

"Agreed," I said, "but only if I get to join you."

"Of course you can join me!" he laughed. "Now, how did you manage to piss Blondie off? Normally that guy is as calm as ever. Well, except when he loses at cards."

"He thinks that because I haven't visited him in a month or asked for his help that I'm putting on airs," I lifting my head up to drink some more of this rat piss alcohol and then let if fall back to the table again.

"You know that if you keep letting your head smack against the table like that you'll eventually get permanent brain damage and be as stupid as Garrett," he joked in an attempt to cheer me up. It didn't work.

"Oh, please Varric," I heard Isabela tease from somewhere next to me, "no one can be that stupid."

I let out a breath of amusement before picking my head up off the table and saw that Isabela had filled the empty chair that had been next to me. She had it spun around backwards and was now straddling it while leaning over and showing everyone her extensive cleavage. Isabela then gave me a wink and leaned backwards a little. _"Maker, I wish I had her figure...and her ability to not care what others think about her."_

With another loud thud my head was back on the table. "What's wrong, Luna?"

"She pissed off Anders," Varric answered for me bluntly.

"What? How?" Isabela gasped. "I thought you two were a thing."

"We are not a 'thing,' Isabela." I heard a very annoyed voice say from behind us. It was the same annoyed voice I heard this morning...before it turned inhuman and cold.

"Ah, Blondie, what are you doing here?" Varric asked cheerfully.

"Luna, told me to meet her here. That's what I'm doing." His voice was devoid of all emotion, though you could still hear the anger somewhere in there if you were listening for it.

"Shit!" I hissed under my breath.

I heard Isabela scoot her chair closer to me before she elbowed me in the side and whispered into my ear. "Damn, you really did piss him off."

"I know," I groaned.

"So, Varric, did Luna manage to convince you to come along?" he asked flatly, trying not to talk to me at the moment.

"Yup. I'm to keep her from slaughtering you and Fenris," he replied.

"Wait, that Tevinter dog is the 'someone else' you mentioned?" he said angrily towards me.

I still didn't lift my head off the table. I was still too lazy plus I didn't want it to get blown off by Anders. "He wasn't exactly thrilled when I told him who all was helping me on this job either," I responded coldly.

"So you tell him everything but not me? Thanks for that, Luna."

"Oh for the love of the fucking Maker!" I finally snapped and pushed myself up and away from the table with my chair crashing behind me. I didn't even look at any of them and just stormed off to Varric's room, trying to get away from all this bullshit.

"Way to go Anders!" I heard Isabela say bitterly before she ran and caught up to me, linking her arm in mine. She escorted me up to Varric's room silently before slamming the door behind us so that I could blow off some steam privately.

"I am really starting to hate men!" I yelled.

"We all do sweetheart, don't worry," Isabela cooed as if trying to calm a child.

"Stop treating me like a child!"

"You want another drink?" she finally asked, dropping the whole motherly act. "It'll make you feel better."

"Yes."

"One second then," she said before disappearing behind the door.

"_Stupid men! Why do they have to be so fucking irritating! Especially Anders. I'm kind to him and try not to bug him and then when I do ask him for help he yells at me and goes all Justice-y on my ass! And then there's Fenris, who is a closed minded, always pms-ing bitch that can be such an arrogant prick sometimes! This is such bullshit!"_

I started to pace back and forth across the room in an attempt to cool down. By the thirteenth lap I was no longer angry or snappy. "Now, where is Isabela with that damn drink she said she grab for me?" I said quietly to myself as I sat down in one of Varric's chairs with my back to the door.

"Jeez, Izz. Were you walking backwards and on your hands?" I said lightheartedly when I heard a loud creaking of the door. "It certainly took you a long time to grab a simple drink."

"I'm not Isabela."

"_Shit!"_ I looked over my shoulder through narrowed eyes at Anders, who was standing in the doorway with his hand rubbing the back of his neck. _"He's nervous...and embarrassed."_ With controlled and slow movements I stood up from where I was sitting and turned to face him.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes and looked away from him. "I don't care."

"That's a lie," he scoffed. "You're not Isabela. You do care."

I almost snapped at him by saying 'Funny, that's not what Justice said' but I caught myself. "Sometimes I wish I was Izz."

"You wish you were a whore," Anders said with a smirk, trying to joke. I just shot him a look that wiped that smirk right off of his face and he looked down at the floor.

We just stood there silently for a long time. Both of us had no clue as to what to say and I was not eager to try to find something to talk about. _"Is this the quiet before the storm or the peace that occurs once the storm has passed? I hope it's the last one. I don't think I could survive another war with him."_

"Luna," Anders said quietly, just barely breaking the silence. "Luna, I am sorry...for the way I treated you and the things I said. Please forgive me." He then turned and started to leave.

"I can't say that I ever blamed you, Anders," I said it loud enough for him to hear before sitting back down and resting my head in my hands.

Loud footsteps on the stairs told me that Isabela was coming back. _"She and Varric probably threatened Anders into coming up here and apologizing. I love my friends, even if they can be assholes sometimes."_

"So how was it?" Isabela asked loudly while handing me a drink. I noticed that it had two or three sips missing from it. It tasted pretty good and I was thankful for the greater alcoholic content. I could already feel my senses getting fuzzy from it.

"How was what?" I took a swig of my drink which had way more alcohol than rat piss in it than my last one.

"The makeup sex. It certainly didn't take very long," Isabela gave me a dirty look and an alluring smile.

"Izz," I groaned while messaging my temples, "there was no sex involved in the apology."

"Oh, so it was just an awkward apology?" she settled in the chair next to me.

"You got that right."

"Such a shame," she said charmingly, "I was hoping that It'd be much more exciting than that."

This remark of hers caused me to move my drink out of the way slowly and allow my head to slam onto the table in frustration. _"Izz is quite the persistent matchmaker...and quite the horney little—"_

"Didn't I tell you that if you keep smacking your head against the table that you'll end up like Garrett already?" Varric interrupted.

"It's not my fault that all Izz thinks and talks about is sex and this is the next best thing compared to banging my head against the wall."

"What? Too painful to use a wall?" I heard Anders joke, or at least try to joke.

"Do you see how far away the nearest wall is? I am not getting up and walking all the way over there to bang my head against it when there's a perfectly good table in front of me," I said lightheartedly. "Besides, I think I already have brain damage, considering how hard Aveline hit me in the face with her shield."

"Oh, so that's how you got the black eye and bruise on your cheek," Isabela teased. "I figured it was the aftermath of some fun you might have had last night."

"Though I may not be a virgin, I do have virtues that keep me from having sex with every man that catches my attention," I responded patiently.

"Would being a pain in the ass be one of those virtues of yours?" Isabela asked, mockingly.

"Oh, how about being reckless?" Varric added.

"Her ridiculously violent nature could be one of them as well," Anders said, joining in as well.

"Well, we can add lazy to that list now," Varric joked.

"Hot tempered," Isabela called out enthusiastically.

"She doesn't think before she speaks all that often," Anders teased.

"Why have none of you said loyal?" came a voice from behind us.

"Because that's a good virtue and we can't say those if we want to keep teasing her," Isabela answered. "Quit being such a party pooper, Fenris."

"Honor," I said suddenly, interrupting them all. "My honor is what keeps me from becoming you, Izz. Anyway, it's getting dark outside; we should head out now that we're all here."

"Alright, Luna, point the way," Varric said.

"I'll fill you guys in while we look for Samson," I mentioned calmly before leading our little band of misfits out of the Hanged Man.

"Try not to die this time, Luna!" I heard Isabela call out as we left.

* * *

><p>Finding Samson wasn't that hard, actually. He was right next to one of the side passages leading to Darktown begging for coin that was most likely going to be used to by lyrium. <em>"Zach's lyrium withdrawal was terrible. He was in so much pain and there was little I could do for him. My father was able to help him a little, but...he still had to go through the worst parts of it. He kept telling me that he was alright though, and that it was ok. He told me that it wasn't my fault that I couldn't do anything to help. He was such a good man."<em>

"Heh. Ol' Vincento told me that someone might come sniffing around," Samson said as we approached. He then turned around to face us, "You're looking for the boy, right? Feyn-something? I'll tell you now," he said with a shrug, "there's not much I can do for you."

"Tell me everything you know, or I'll tell the templars that you're helping rogue mages," I threatened.

"Rogue...is that what you should be called, just for wanting to live like a person, not a beast?" Samson responded, shaking his head in disbelief. "Wish I could do more, but I need coin to live, and your lad Feynriel didn't have any."

"I pity any mage who is forced to rely on you for protection," Anders said bitterly.

"I pointed him to a ship captain I know. Reiner. Sometimes he'll take on runaways. Took another apostate last week –girl I sent him," Samson paused for a moment before looking down at his boots. "Might have gone wrong, though. I heard rumors he took the both of them captive instead."

"If Feynriel's not in one piece when I find him, I'm coming after you next," I said menacingly.

"Rein it in friend. Was just trying to do the lad a good turn," Samson said, sounding like he didn't care if he died. "Rumor has it Reiner had the pair of them locked in a quays warehouse. Somewhere close to dockside. You want to go looking; you might find the lad before he gets ransomed to the templars. Or worse."

I snarled at him in disgust one last time before turning away and walking back into the main part of Lowtown. _"At least we are slightly closer to finding Feynriel. It's certainly better than where we were a few moments ago...which was nowhere."_

"Well, that was helpful," Varric said once we were out of earshot.

"Hey, it's better than nothing, and we're that much closer to Feynriel," I replied quietly.

"I didn't take you for an optimistic type of person, Luna." Anders was being cautious with what he said. It was quite obvious that he was picking his words carefully.

"I used to be," I stopped and closed my eyes. "Looks like that old habit hasn't finished dying yet."

"There's nothing wrong with being optimistic," he responded softly.

"I used to think the same thing until all the hope my optimism gave me was completely destroyed," I opened my eyes and looked over at him. "After having that happen to me about five times I did my best to keep myself from getting my hopes up and looking on the brighter side of everything."

"Isn't that a little...unhealthy?" Fenris asked.

"Says the elf who's living in mansion that's about to come crashing down," I joked.

"Hmmm...point taken."

"So, to the docks?" Varric interrupted.

"Yup, let's go."

* * *

><p>We moved silently through the black shadows cast from the moon as we made our way to the docks. The air was filled with the chill that always followed a storm and caused our breath to appear in front of us as we breathed. The ground was still slippery and covered in puddles from the rain and our feet would occasionally cause a loud splash that broke the dark silence we needed to stay hidden. Tonight Lowtown was quiet, and that was never a good sign.<p>

The four of us could easily defeat whatever types of thugs were stupid enough to throw themselves at us. It was just a matter of not wanting to wear ourselves out and not wanting to be bothered with it as we continued on at a brisk pace. _"Thank the Maker I can actually run now, otherwise I would have gone insane from only being able to limp."_

When we reached the long flight of stairs leading down to the docks I stopped for a moment so that we could catch our breath. So far we hadn't run into anyone or anything, but I still kept my guard up. Motioning to the others I signaled that they could take a break. Varric and Fenris went and sat on a couple of crates and Anders leaned up against a wall before sliding down it and sitting on the floor. I stood at the top of the stairs with my arms folded, my body tense, and my eyes closed, listening for anything that sounded like danger.

"_**Are you alright?"**_

I opened my eyes and quickly looked around, thinking that I heard something...but no one was there, and my friends knew that they needed to remain silent. Not seeing anything I dismissed the idea that I heard someone speaking and closed my eyes once more.

"_**You should relax more, Luna."**_

Again my eyes shot open and were wide with surprise. I now knew who had spoken. _"Marian! Is...is that you!"_

"_**Be careful up ahead. Who you are looking for is surrounded by danger."**_

My breath got hitched in my throat for a moment. _"Marian...? If that is you, then tell me, what do you mean!"_

"_**You are destined to be forced to fight impossible battles that no others could win save for you...sister." **_

"_Marian!"_

"Are you alright?" Those words jolted me back to reality. I looked over and saw that Anders was standing next to me now, his face showing a subtle sign of the worry he was feeling.

"Yes," my voice faltered just a little and I cursed myself for it. "Why?"

"You look as if you've seen a ghost," he answered quietly.

"I'm fine, but we should start moving," I said flatly before moving towards the stairs and taking them two at a time till I reached the bottom. I didn't even look back to see if my friends were following me.

What I heard, or what I thought I heard, had shaken me. _"Andraste's ass, I hate cryptic bullshit! ...was that really Marian who spoke, or just a figment of my imagination? She's dead. There's no way she could talk to me now, right? But, no one was speaking...it was all in my head. Am I going insane...again?"_

It wasn't at all hard to find the warehouse that most likely held Feynriel. It practically screamed "We are trying our hardest to look subtle and like any other warehouse that isn't doing anything suspicious." I was almost completely distracted by my thoughts and I was still able to tell that it was the right warehouse.

Varric, Fenris, and Anders took position outside of the warehouse on either side of the door and kept watch for any guards we somehow hadn't noticed. Moving silently to stand in front of the door I grabbed my lock picks from my pocket and began to tackle the lock that kept us from going in. After a couple of tense moments with nothing but the sound of scrapping and clinking metal in the air the lock finally gave way with the loud satisfying 'click' of it being unlocked. I quickly stashed my lock picks back into my pocket and with a steady hand I gripped the doorknob and twisted it, making sure that I had done the job correctly. With a soft push the door opened slightly.

"Be careful up ahead," I whispered, echoing my sister's warning. Looking at each of my companions and getting a nod in response, I opened the door all the way and rushed in.

The room we entered was lit quite well with lamps and my eyes had to adjust to the brightness. It seemed that we were in one of the back storerooms that were meant to be used for extra space and a place with an exit in case of a fire. _"Now if this warehouse is like all the others I've been to, then the main area of it should be just beyond the door in front of me. It's odd how all these places are exactly the same. You'd think they'd build them with a little more variety. Perhaps they got bored or the people that designed this place didn't realize how boring and annoying it was to have every place look the same."_

I thought about opening the door nicely. You know, actually using the doorknob and then rushing in to slaughter everyone that was in my way, but instead I decided to go for the more fun approach. _"This'll be interesting."_

My swords slid from their sheathes silently as I moved forward and kicked the door open. It crashed loudly against the wall on the other side and the men that were inside all turned with their mouths opened wide in surprise. It was like someone had choreographed their reaction.

"There's someone at the door!" one of them cried.

"Kill anyone that isn't ours!" another one exclaimed.

That's when the fight began.

My friends and I knew each other well. We had fought together in many battles already and we knew what to do if a fight ever broke out. Varric and Anders would target the archers and make sure their arrows didn't kill us. Archers were the main thing everyone overlooked in a fight. They weren't very strong, but left unchecked and they could bring down your strongest fighters with deadly accuracy. After the archers were taken care of they would join Fenris and I in fighting the others that might still be alive.

"_Divide and conquer."_ I thought as I threw myself at the oncoming enemies.

There were quite a few men inside of this warehouse and Fenris and I made our way to opposite sides of the room to take on the enemies that were coming. I let out a throaty growl as my swords tore through the first enemy I encountered.

The rhythm of battle picked up and I soon found myself dodging and parrying without a conscious thought. It was all reflex that was amplified by the adrenaline. _"It's our bodies moving instinctively to keep us from dying."_

I ducked down as one of Reiner's men swung at me with his shield in the same manner that Aveline had this morning when she gave me my black eye. The man lost his balance and I quickly knocked the arm he carried his shield with out of the way as I brought one of my swords down across his chest. He howled in pain as he fell to the ground.

A loud grunt caused me to whip around in time to see a reaver swinging at my head with a huge axe. I didn't have much time to react and all I could do is back step once, watching as the axe missed my throat by inches. I had to retaliate quickly so I rushed the reaver and hoped that I could catch him off guard with a flurry of strikes.

But this reaver was a bit more experienced than I had anticipated and he was able to block all of my attacks and swung at me again. I brought my swords up to block him but he knocked my arms to the side and continued with his attack, and slowly began to back me into a corner and into more of Reiner's men. We relentlessly exchanged blows with one another, but never caused any wounds. We were only wearing each other out. I finally got my chance to kill him, though, when he recklessly swung at my side.

I felt the blade of his axe cut into my waist and felt blood start to pour from it, but I ignored it and any of the pain that came with it. Instead of backing out of the way, I moved with his attack, staying just ahead of his axe before I spun around underneath it and attacked the exposed side of his body. The reaver fell without a sound and I turned to face the others that had surrounded me in to finish the job if the reaver couldn't.

These men were much easier to kill and once the last of the men that had surrounded me had fallen my breath was knocked out of me and I felt a sharp and intense pain resonating from my shoulder and stomach. I glanced down to see where the pain was coming from only to find out that three arrows had found their way to me. Two of them were in my shoulder and one of them was in my stomach.

Looking up from my wounds I saw three archers standing in the doorway to the room we had entered from. _"So we did miss a few guards that were camped outside. Shit! I should have expected some might have come behind."_

An explosion of flames consumed them before I had a chance to move and I heard a satisfying grunt from Fenris that told me that we had won this fight. I sheathed my swords and hastily ripped out all three of the arrows before the adrenaline left my body and the numbing affect it caused stopped. The arrows fell softly to the ground and I turned away from my friends so that they wouldn't see that I was wounded.

"Remind me to never get on our bad side," I heard Varric say in mock seriousness, "it seems to be unhealthy—"

His words were cut off when we the shrill scream of a girl rang throughout the warehouse. Not caring if my friends saw that I was hurt anymore, I turned around in the direction I heard it come from and began running towards it, with my friends following me.

"Get a hold of her!"

I reached the stairs and ran up them as quickly as I could.

"Please! Help me! Anyone!"

I slammed against the door that barred my way to the room that led to the one the girl was in. Splinters flew everywhere as it was forced open, along with the blood that was pouring from my shoulder and stomach.

"Grab the hands! I heard they can't do no spells without hands!"

Kicking the last door open I saw that there were three men who had surrounded a girl that was kneeling on the ground. The girl shook violently and let out another scream before flames engulfed her...and she became an abomination.

"You know nothing of magic!" came the demonic voice of the abomination.

A single tear ran down my cheek as I gritted my teeth against the pain from my wounds and the sorrow for that girl. I had no choice but to finish this fight.

* * *

><p>"That poor girl," I heard Anders say quietly, his voice shaking a little. "Who do you suppose she was? We should see if there's anything here we can use to identify her with. If we can find her parents, the least we can do is tell them that their daughter is at peace now."<p>

Fighting that abomination had been hard. Not only had I been heavily wounded throughout the fight, but also knowing that it was an innocent girl who turned into that monster made it all the more difficult. _"If I had gotten here sooner, if I had been faster, maybe it wouldn't have come to this!"_

"Yeah," was the only answer I was able to get out. The pain from my wounds which had been dull at first was now intensifying, and I was starting to feel rather lightheaded as I watched the room begin to spin. I braced myself against the wall as Anders looked up and saw me.

"Luna!" he exclaimed and moved towards me. "Tell me where you're hurt."

I gave him a smirk and a witty response, "You're the healer, you tell me."

Anders just frowned at me before his hands lit up with blue light and he began healing me. The frown quickly disappeared as soon as it had appeared though, and his face softened a little as he healed me.

Looking up at him, I realized how handsome he was when the light from his healing magic lit up his face. His golden blond hair that was always pulled back had a few strands that were falling across his face which he tried to blow out of his eyes and failed. He had a bit of unkempt stubble along his chin that made him look even more like a rebel...and even sexier. His eyes glowed with the light from his magic and their amber color was brought out even more. He had such beautiful eyes and I longed for nothing more than to make them close as I ran my fingers through his hair and brushed up against his chin with my cheek, tickling myself with his stubble before I finally brought my lips to his—

"_Stop thinking up these fantasies!" _ I scolded myself. _"We have something important to do right now, I can't go thinking about a crush I might have!"_

"You really should be more careful, Luna," Anders finally said, backing away from me now that he had finished healing me. "One of these days you're going to die because I won't be around to heal you."

I just hummed in agreement before moving over to the abomination and seeing if there was anything on it that could tell us who it used to be. Varric came over as well and began to help me with my search.

"Look for something that might tell us where Feynriel is," I ordered, "but do your best to NOT kill each other in the process."

I heard the footsteps of both Anders and Fenris as they started to look around the room. _"Fenris hasn't said anything about mages or abominations yet...that's odd, but I'm not complaining."_

"I gave Broody a couple of words of advice," I heard Varric whisper.

"Thank the Maker you did," I whispered back.

He just gave me a soft smile in response before yelling, "Hey, I think I've got something!"

"So do I," Fenris said as he walked back over to where Varric and I were standing. Anders also came back over and stood next to the elf without a single look in his direction. _"Those two will never get over themselves will they?"_

"Alright, Broody," Varric said lightheartedly, "you tell us what you have first."

"It's a piece of paper that was stored in a chest," he paused for a moment. "It looks important."

"Well, what does it say," Varric asked.

"I don't know," Fenris stammered, "I...I can't read."

"Let me see it then," Anders interrupted, snatching the piece of paper out of his hands and ignoring the menacing glare he got from Fenris for doing that. _"Maker, it's like they're brothers! Never agreeing and never giving anything up!"_ I looked over at Varric, who he had a big smile on his face and winked at me. He was thinking the same exact thing.

"It's Captain Reiner's accounts," Anders said, "and it says here that he sold two barrels of fish to the Viscount's Keep, three barrels of rum to the Hanged Man, twenty-five Rivaini furs to Helton's Clothiers...oh and one human mage to a man named Danzig in the Undercity."

"Slavers!" Fenris hissed

"Why is it always templars or slavers?" I asked rhetorically.

"You forgot the coterie," Anders added.

"Oh, yeah, them too."

"Ahem," Varric cleared his throat. "I have a letter addressed to a 'Ser Thrask'. It reads 'Father, I know the sacrifice you've made to conceal my secret, but I am a child no longer. I cannot burden you my whole life, lest my secret destroy us both. I must live my own life as a woman...and as a mage. It is oddly freeing to write the word. Farewell, Father. I hope one day you make peace between what you have been taught and what you have seen. All my love, Olivia.' It looks like this Ser Thrask was Olivia's father. We should bring this to him."

"We will," I said with a nod, "right after we find Feynriel."

"Then it looks like we need to go to Darktown to find these slavers," Varric pointed out.

"Darktown isn't small though," Anders mentioned. "How are we going to find them?"

"They would need a quick escape if the guards somehow caught wind of what they were doing, so our best bet is looking for them by the sewers." I groaned, "Ugh...sewers. I hate them."

"Afraid to get dirty, Little Hawke?" came Varric's teasing voice.

"Call me 'Little Hawke' again and you're a dead man," I threatened, jokingly.

"It's not his fault you're short," Anders added.

"Thanks for that."

"Not that I'm trying to ruin your fun or anything, but shouldn't we be heading to the Undercity?" Fenris finally interrupted.

"We should. Fenris take point. I'll bring up the rear," I said sternly.

Fenris just gave a nod and turned away along with Varric as they walked through the doors I had almost knocked off the hinges trying to save that girl, Olivia.

I lingered a bit and looked back at the abomination. _"This shouldn't have happened. She should have been able to live freely as a woman and mage just like she wanted. I couldn't save her. I should have tried harder. I should have prevented this. It's my fault she became—"_

I felt the warmth of Anders hand on my shoulder and I quickly shied away from his touch. "Don't touch me," I said in a quiet whisper. "I don't exactly want to feel any kind of warmth right now."

"I understand," was his sorrowful response. "Luna, I want to come with you when you tell her father what happened, if you'll let me. I know that, despite how you act, you and I aren't exactly on good terms."

"You got that right," I said a bit too sourly. I gave a slight tilt of my head in a bow for Olivia before facing Anders. "Do you truly want to come with me? It means going to the Gallows. Her father was a templar."

His eyes widened for just a fraction of a second and his hesitation lasted just as long. "Yes, I still wish to go with you. You shouldn't have to go through these things on your own."

"Yet I'm always forced to and no longer have anyone who can share my burdens."

"You have your friends," he replied meekly.

"_And none of you take a whole lot seriously ...or you unleash angry spirits to claim false things about my character, so I don't exactly see how you can help with my burdens. You've got my back in a fight, I know that, but there are some things that you can't help me with."_ I let out a heavy sigh. "Come on. We need to catch up."

Anders looked like he wanted to say more, but he just nodded and followed in pursuit of Varric and Fenris.

Looking back at Olivia I whispered a prayer for her and a promise that I wouldn't let Feynriel, or any other mage I could help, end up like that. I hoped that she had found peace wherever she may be now.

"I'm sorry," I murmured before I also made my way out of the warehouse.

~~.0.~~

* * *

><p><strong><em>I am so sorry for the delay. Things have been busy with school starting back up and all. <em>**

**_Thanks for the feedback and please tell me if anything looks wrong or sounds bad. I would greatly appreciate it. :)_**


	36. Chapter 36: A Feeling Because of You

**Chapter 36**

"Well, well, looky here! Volunteers!" exclaimed an ugly man with hideous tattoos. "Clap them in irons, boys! We'll see how much the Tevinters will pay for them."

"I told you walking right up to them wasn't a plan," Anders hissed from behind me. The slavers remained oblivious to that comment and didn't make any move towards us...yet. _"Saying shit like that isn't the best way to talk yourself out of a situation, Anders."_

"Where is Feynriel?" I asked demandingly.

The man with the ugly tattoos ignored my question and I heard footsteps from behind us. When I glanced back to see who was moving I saw that some of the other slavers had surrounded us and cut off the only way in or out of this clearing. There was no way to escape and when I looked back at the man with the hideous tattoos he had his lips twisted into a very disfigured and horrifying smile.

"So, who's first ?" he flashed his teeth at us with arms spread open in welcome.

"_Shit..."_

* * *

><p>"You know what I love about the Undercity? Absolutely nothing," Varric groaned once we had finally made it to the sewers.<p>

"Here we go again," I sighed.

"What?" he asked with raised shoulders. "It's not my fault this place is so crappy."

"Good one."

"Believe it or not, the pun actually wasn't intended."

"That _is_ hard to believe," I heard Anders mutter from behind us.

"Just because I, unlike you, can make good jokes out of nothing doesn't mean I make them all the time."

"I haven't seen any proof to the contrary yet." A smile spread across Anders' face after he spoke.

"Hey, would you look at that! Blondie's actually smiling!" Varric exclaimed rather enthusiastically.

"Who cares?" Fenris interrupted, clearly annoyed. "We have a mage that needs to be saved from slavers...Unless you've finally come to your senses and realized that saving mages isn't worth the trouble and they all belong in the tower that is."

Anders didn't respond and just glared at Fenris through narrowed eyes.

"Something tells me that the slavers are that group over there," I said, interrupting their silent argument before it escalated and pointing to a small clearing that was on the far side of the sewers.

"So, if that is them, what's the plan then, Little Hawke," Varric asked, using the nickname he had come up with only because he knew it drove me insane.

"We go up to them and ask where they've taken Feynriel."

"That isn't exactly a plan..." Anders eyebrows furrowed in disapproval. _"Looks like he doesn't like the idea of walking right up to them."_

"I have to agree with the abomination on this one," Fenris added.

"And we should mark today in the calendar as 'the first, and probably last, time that Fenris and Anders have ever agreed on something'." I let my signature smirk fall on my lips before walking towards the slavers.

"And here was I hoping she wasn't actually serious with the whole 'walk right up and hope they don't kill us' plan," I faintly heard Varric mumble under his breath.

* * *

><p>I smiled 'sweetly' at the slaver before answering his question, curtly with, "No one," before I turned to Fenris and said much more malicious and in character, "Make him talk."<p>

A smile touched the corners of his mouth. "I can do that," he said in an amused voice before his lyrium tattoos glowed.

With lightning quick movements Fenris had closed the gap between him and the slaver that had spoken to us and rammed his fist through the man's chest. I heard him wheeze in pain before Fenris removed his hand and his lyrium tattoos stopped glowing. The man then doubled over in pain gurgling on...something...maybe blood, but I really didn't know.

"Andraste's great flaming ass!" the man exclaimed while gasping for air, "how did you do that? Never mind," he said quickly, interrupting his own question, "what do you want?"

"Feynriel, the half human, half elf mage, where is he?" I growled menacingly.

"I-I stashed the boy in a cave, a smuggler hideout along the coast. Tevinters will be there to finish the deal tonight."

"This is Kirkwall; there is a lot of fucking coast here. You're going to have to be more specific," I looked over at Fenris and jerked my head towards the man with the hideous tattoos as a signal for him to do that little trick of his again.

"The Wounded Coast!" he blurted out in panic, his voice tinged with his fear when he saw Fenris take a few steps towards him. "That's the coast I meant!"

Fenris looked at me questioningly and I gave him a 'back down' nod. Confusion flickered in his eyes as he did as I 'asked', but I gave him a subtle wink to put his mind at ease. _"Let's give this man some false hope...and then rip it away just when he gets a hold of it. Kind of like what he did with Feynriel._

"Now...c-can I go?" the tattooed man asked, boldly.

"Sure," I said charmingly before unsheathing my sword and running it through his chest. "And by that I meant 'no'." I finished my sentence while still sounding as charming as ever, and the man's eyes widened in surprise before his life was finally snuffed out like a candle.

Ripping out my sword from his disgusting corpse and letting it crash to the floor, I quickly unsheathed my other sword and got ready to kill the other slavers that had gathered around us. _"One step closer to finding him. Now we have an actual location, thank the Maker."_

* * *

><p>"So, he's at the Wounded Coast, huh?" I said nonchalantly while ridding my blades of the blood that had splashed on them. "I wonder if the Injured Cliff's are around there too, or maybe the Limping Hills. They all certainly sound like better places than Massive-Head-Trauma Bay, though."<p>

"Yeah, well wherever you go becomes another addition to the Bloody Springs," Varric added, joining in my joke while motioning to the bodies that littered the ground all around us.

The blood that had spilled from their veins covered this clearing's ground with pools of crimson red that shimmered eerily in the moonlight coming from some of the vents above. The poor lighting did make the pools of blood look deeper than they actually were.

"Hmmm," I said with a smirk, "that sounds like good place to go on a honeymoon."

Varric chuckled at first with a smile that brought out his dimples and brightened his eyes. "Only you would find a place like that suitable for a honeymoon, Little Hawke."

"You're not going to give up on that, are you?"

"Ah, come on," Varric teased. "You know you like it," his smile broadened with each word.

"_Only because a...friend calls me something similar."_ I sheathed my swords and turned so that I was looking directly at him with a smile on my lips to compliment his own. "It does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Exactly!" he exclaimed before laughing uncontrollably.

I simply hummed in amusement in honor of his enthusiasm towards me finally agreeing to the nickname. The nickname I knew he had already decided on calling me by even if I hadn't agreed.

Varric, who was now content at the moment, walked over to a nearby crate and sat down. Pulling out a rag from his jacket he began to wipe the blood off of his boots. He seemed to take the whole act of doing so very seriously because he would make slow and deliberate movements that also had certain patterns to them. Forcing myself to look away was the only way to keep from laughing at the sight.

My eyes then came to rest on Anders. He was standing in the middle of the clearing on one of the few non-blood covered areas. His eyes were shut and he was lightly tapping his fingers along his staff in some sort of rhythm. In the pale moonlight I could just make out that there was a little bit of blood splattered on his robes and that there was a trail of it running down his face. At first I was worried that he may have been hurt, but my worry turned to relief when he opened his eyes and noticed I was looking at him. When he turned his head towards me I couldn't see any wounds, so I simply nodded towards Varric on the crate, a small smile touching my lips.

Anders looked over at the dwarf and didn't even try to hide his smile. He found the sight almost as funny as I did. He looked back at me and the tension that was on his face just melted. He looked much more relaxed, which also made me a little less tense as well seeing as I had gotten lost in his eyes once again. _"I can't blame him for what Justice did. Even though he may say they are one, they both have different opinions and feelings even if some of them are sometimes the same."_

"If you too are done making eyes at each other," Fenris' snarl was unmistakably more 'snarlier' than usual, "then I suggest we make for the Wounded Coast before the Tevinters sail away with your mage."

"Sorry," I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster, "I thought that being such a broody buzz kill must get tiring after awhile and I thought that you might need a break to catch your strength in order to keep that façade going." I rolled my eyes as obviously as I could, hoping that he would notice it and realize how much I hated him at the moment for saying that.

"Wait, what?" Varric looked up from his boots. "We're leaving already? But I haven't even finished getting the blood of my boots!"

"Well, seeing as the 'Bloody Springs' follow Luna wherever she goes, I imagine that you'll end up with more blood on them soon," Anders said charmingly. "Might as well clean it all off at once rather than after every fight she gets into."

"Hey, it's not like I go looking for a fight..." I said in my 'cute little whining girl' voice.

"I haven't seen any proof to the contrary yet," Anders joked, repeating what he had said to Varric a little while ago.

"If we move quickly and _now_ we can get to the cave in less than an hour," Fenris put a whole lot of stress on the word 'now'. _"Something must have pissed him off."_

"Then lead on and set the pace," was my calm response that no longer had my words dripping with sarcasm. "We'll follow."

He just gave a soft grunt before turning around and jogging up the stairs. The word 'jogging' should be used lightly though, he was just barely moving slower than sprinting.

Varric and Anders followed him without hesitation and I brought up the rear. _"This isn't exactly the 'romantic, moonlit walk along the coast' the leaflet was advertising was it? I can't imagine one of the 'exciting' activities listed on it was 'enjoy the scenery as you save an apostate mage'."_ My own willpower was almost not enough to keep from laughing at that thought. _"Don't need my friends thinking I'm crazier than they already think I am. After all, I did tell them I was insane once."_

* * *

><p>Reaching the cave the slaver had talked about was rather difficult. The rain had turned everything into mud and we were all were slipping and sliding as we 'jogged' all the way there. I crashed more than a few times to the ground as my feet slid out from underneath me and I was now covered in mud. <em>"I don't know how those three have kept themselves from laughing at me and how much of a klutz I can be."<em>

Even though the big storm that had blown through here was long gone, another one had taken its place and chilled us to the bones with its freezing drizzle of rain. The water was even colder than what had fallen during the first storm which was amazing to me.

"_I'm glad that I'm in the rear, otherwise they would all see me shivering uncontrollably and offer some way of keeping warm. Damn them and their kindness sometimes._" I just suffered quietly in the cold as I kept my eyes and ears open for any sign of trouble. _"I am not going to lose any of them. Ever. I have already failed so many people. I will not fail them."_

"How you doing back there, Little Hawke?" Varric called over his shoulder as we started to descend down the final hill...I hoped.

"Fine—whoa!" just then the mud gave way beneath my feet and I fell forward. I tried to brace myself with my hands and was able to keep my face out of the mud, but not without one of my wrists giving up on me with a sickening crack. "Ow... No..." I ended up whimpering innocently.

Warm hands were suddenly helping me up and holding my arm with the broken wrist very still. I looked up and saw Anders holding me steady with a goofy smile and mud on his cheek, in his hair, and on his robes that were no doubt from me in his attempt to help me up and keep me on my feet. _"Karl said the Fade was burning inside him like the sun. He certainly radiates heat like the sun, that's for sure."_

"I didn't know you were such a klutz, Luna," He said sultrily as he started to help me down the hill. Fenris and Varric were already waiting at the bottom.

"I just don't get along with—" I slipped _again_ and Anders had to grab my waist and pull me close to him to keep me from falling. It was very awkward. Our bodies were really close together, but I couldn't complain about being cold for the moment...I didn't let the moment last too long though because Maker knows the dirty scenarios Varric's already coming up with and the many ways Fenris is already planning on killing Anders.

"MUD! I do NOT get along with all this fucking MUD!" I gritted out through my teeth as we finally made it to the front of the cave.

Anders only chuckled before taking a look at my wrist. "I'm going to have to set the bone back into place." Looking deep into my eyes he added, "It may hurt a bit."

"'A bit' is an understatement, my friend," I replied thoughtfully. "Don't tell me when you're going to put it back into place."

"Uh, why?"

"Because if I know when you're going to do it I'll tense up and it'll hurt a whole lot more."

"There's actually some logic there," Varric remarked.

"Well, I'm not stupid, that's for sure...right?" I asked.

"If you need to ask," was the bitter response from Fenris.

Glaring at the broody son of a bitch, I opened my mouth to say a very impolite comeback that involved his stupidity but—

SNAP!

—I was force to clamp my mouth shut in an attempt to shut out the pain from my wrist.

Anders had picked the best moment to reset the bone, although I would have loved to see the look on Fenris' face when I told him off.

"Yup," I said carefully, "that was an understatement."

Anders gave a half-hearted laugh before healing the bone. _"Ok, I am NOT going to get hurt in this cave. I am not going to get hurt in this cave. I am not going to get hurt in this cave..."_

"Did any of us bring torches, cause I can't see a damn thing down that cave," Varric mentioned, worry edging his voice.

"Well, I figured that since I brought...drug the two friends of ours that can glow blue that we wouldn't need any torches." I knew that was a very, very stupid thing to say...but the looks on Fenris' and Anders' faces as they glared at me..._priceless_! Even Varric couldn't stop laughing. He was practically rolling around in the mud he found it so damn funny.

"You know what?" Anders said, "For that you get to heal the rest of your wrist on your own."

"Fine by me. I certainly don't expect Garrett to do it. The poor bastard can't even close a scratch," I remarked bluntly as I walked over to an old barrel that must have fallen off a caravan.

Once I reached I kicked it hard and shattered it into the many curved pieces of that were locked together with metal bands. I picked up one of the pieces with my good arm (well wrist I guess) and snapped it in half. I then moved over to a boulder and sat down. _"Sorry, armor, but I need to steal your sleeves."_ Cutting off the sleeves, and the only thing that was keeping me from freezing to death in the frigid rain, I put the two pieces of wood on the top and bottom of my arm with one of the sleeves keeping the wood off of my skin. Next, I took the other sleeve and wrapped the wood together tightly in a makeshift brace.

"Humph, that'll do," I said finally as I inspected my work. That's when I noticed Varric, Fenris, and Anders had been watching me very intently. "What? Are we actually going to go in the cave, or stand here waiting all day?"

Fenris opened his mouth to say something, but Varric gave him a 'discreet' elbow to the side and kept him from saying anything. _"Good choice."_

"Well...we could make a torch out of shit that's just lying around," Varric suggested.

I shook my head at that idea "I could barely make this half-assed brace and you think we can make a torch? Maddening."

"Hey, it was just a suggestion, no need to get snappy."

"Sorry," I replied. The pain from my wrist had doubled since I put it in the brace, going from 'slight throb' to 'screaming pain' in minutes.

Just then, a bright light appeared over our head and made everything visible. "In case you guys have forgotten, I am a mage. Making little balls of light to see by was one of the first things we learn in the Circle."

"Don't you mean abomination," Fenris spat at him.

"I was a mage long before Justice."

"You mean Vengeance." Most people would have stated that as a question. Fenris, on the other hand, stated it as a fact and...maybe he was right.

"Fucking hell!" I breathed out loudly. What I said was directed at three things: Fenris, Anders, and the ridiculous amount of pain that was resonating from my wrist, which I kept under tight wraps so that Anders didn't feel bad. I couldn't even lift my arm without hurting myself. _"This is going to make fighting a bitch."_ "We're moving. Now!" and with that said I moved towards the mouth of the cave and started to walk down into its depths.

"I don't think you going down there first is the best idea right now. You know, having a broken wrist and all," Varric mention calmly as they followed me.

"Would you rather I walked behind you and took you all out when I fall?"

"Notice how she says 'when' and not 'if'," Fenris remarked.

"Still, hawks with a broken wing don't fly all that well." Varric was worried for me. We could all hear it, but of course he would deny it when we got back to Kirkwall. He needs to make people think that he's all business when in truth he's just a big softie.

"Who says that a hawk needs both wings for a fight though? I still have one operational arm. That's all I need."

"I guess," was all he muttered in response.

The rocky surface of the tunnel we were descending was very slick, but I was able to find better footing here then out in the mud. _"Note for future reference: rock equals easier to stay standing on when wet then mud."_

We were out of the rain for the moment though and that was a very good thing. But this place reminded me too much of my past and I found myself jumping at the slightest noises, and at one point I stopped suddenly when I thought I heard that same noise that drove me insane all those years ago. Only a hard elbow in the back from Fenris kept me going "_and the promise to Olivia. I won't let anything bad happen to Feynriel."_

Anders little floating light thingy made traversing the cave much easier and we were able to tell that quite a few people were ahead of us. Yet we encountered no resistance which was odd. The first thing slavers always did was leave behind small bands to take care of anyone that might have stumbled on their operation, and there was no doubt that they had heard by now that someone was looking for the mage they had purchased. _"Perhaps my luck's improving?"_

I ran down that last flight of stairs that had actually been carved into a rock and continued running forward, carelessly, into any danger that may be waiting. I hoped that in doing this we would stumble upon the slavers sooner rather than later, and be able to kill them all off before they did something stupid like...I don't know, kill Feynriel maybe.

"Take one more step and the boy dies!" came a throaty warning to the right of me.

Not wanting to risk anything anymore I froze to the spot and turned to look at who had spoken.

It was a red haired man that had some scrawny blonde haired kid on his knees with a knife to his neck. My blood boiled and by then my friends had also frozen behind me. The kid accidently gasped as the knife cut his neck just enough for a small trickle of blood to ooze in a thin line down his pale skin. Panic flashed through his fear ridden eyes but thankfully he didn't do anything stupid.

"_Shit! What do I do! What do I do!"_ I couldn't come up with anything in the short seconds I allowed myself, so in a last ditch effort I turned to Varric and growled, "Tell this dirt bag who we are!"

A small glimmer of mischief flickered in his eyes before it quickly vanished and he completely saved the day...well, night technically. "If I were you I wouldn't be threatening the Viscount's son."

"What!" The red haired man looked absolutely stunned.

"Oh, you just heard that there was some mage flesh cheap and you didn't even think to ask where they had gotten it?" Varric cleared his throat, dramatically. "You, for instance, didn't even know that the boy you had bought and the one you now hold a knife to is, in all actuality, the Viscount's love child he had with his elven mistress. The boy he had sworn to protect even if it meant to raise the entire Free Marches?" His voice elevated during his story and the red haired man looked down, ashamedly, and slowly lowered the knife from Feynriel's throat.

"I seek no war with the Free Marches," the knife was gone and the red haired man turned away from him and towards us. "Here was the price on his head," he said as he tossed a coin purse to me, "take it in a peace offering when you return the lad to his father."

"That's quite the generous offer," I said, regretting it almost instantly because it might cause him to reconsider the whole deal.

The slavers said nothing more, and with a nod from the red haired slaver that had struck a deal with us, the slavers started packing up their supplies. They had left Feynriel on top of the ledge and he was still bound with rope. _"It looks like they think they've already done plenty of good enough for one day and don't have to untie the person they just tried to buy. Gotta love slavers. They make the best friends."_

As they moved towards another exit out of this cave I backed up next to Anders and hissed, "Please tell me you know how to conjure a firestorm."

"I'm not just a healer. I sometimes have to get the coterie off my back by force," was his whispered response. He was smart enough to know when not to draw attention to one's self. A skill he undoubtedly learned while fleeing templars on his many escape attempts.

"Good. On my signal cast it at that tunnel that they're heading for."

I heard Anders slowly and subtly grab his staff from his back and ready it for the spell. The slavers were moving in one large group and were almost at the beginning of the tunnel. _"Large groups make easy targets, dumb asses."_ Calculating the distance and the time it would take for the spell to take effect, I realized that it would probably be best if I got all of the slavers' attention and Maker did I have a way of getting people to pay attention to me.

A small smile touched my lips as I let out a piercing whistle and called out to them. "Hey! There's something I forgot to tell you guys!"

All of the slavers turned back towards us and I could see the puzzled looks from them and from Fenris and Varric, who had no idea what I was doing. The red haired man moved forward through the group so that he could see me better. "Oh?" he said with raised eyebrows, "and what might that be?"

The small smile turned into a noticeable and wicked grin, "Slavers don't get to live!"

Right on cue the air above them started to rain down fire. Their screams and cries of shock and surprise quickly changed tune and became those of unbearable pain and agony as they roasted alive. Some of them tried running away from the fire, either towards us or towards the tunnel, but they were always stopped by a fireball that erupted just as they almost started to get away. In a sick and weird way it was a little beautiful. Seeing people that have committed horrible crimes finally get what was coming to them is oddly peaceful. _"Yeah, payback's a bitch."_

"Did you really think that was wise?" came the meek voice of Feynriel. "I mean, what if some of them managed to get past the flames, or they had guessed what you were getting at...or what if he casted the spell incorrectly." Feynriel was apparently more skilled than implied at first. He had managed to get free of the rope that held him and was now standing right next to us. _"He probably burned through the ropes with a spell. Mages always take the easy way out."_

"If you focus too much on 'what ifs' and 'maybes' you'll never get anything done, and besides, none of that stuff happened." I turned my head just enough to the side so that I could catch Anders' eyes out of the corner of my own. "Not to mention, I trust my friends and what they can do." I looked back at Feynriel and gave him a reassuring nod. "They've given me no reason to doubt them and I never will. I always know they've got my back."

"That's...a little comforting, but who sent you?" Fear ran through and was evident in his eyes. "Was it the templars?" his voice wavered a moment and I didn't blame the boy. The word 'templar' is the worst thing to be said around a mage whether they are in the Circle or not.

"Actually, your mother sent us."

Feynriel let out a huff of annoyance. "Hardly a difference," he said bitterly. "It was all 'I love you, I'll protect you,' then I have some bad dreams and it's 'off to the templars.'"

"You must understand her concern," I started calmly before dropping it. "But there must be a different solution other than the Circle..."

"What about the Dalish?" Anders piped up. "They could teach him."

"Because no Dalish mage has ever gone astray," Fenris responded rather coolly, given the conversation. I was surprised he didn't say more.

"That's who I was trying to get to in the first place before...things got complicated," Feynriel interrupted. "Would you let me go to them? I am as much Dalish as I am human."

"Are you sure?" I asked neutrally, testing how determined he was about this. "You'd be alone among the Dalish, more so than a Dalish would be in Kirkwall."

"Let's see: suffering from loneliness or suffering at the hands of the templars who strip you of all your freedoms and treat you worse than dogs," he offered up sarcastically. "I think I'll suffer loneliness."

I folded my arms casually, making sure that my arm with the broken wrist was on top, and gave him a teasing smile. "All right, smart ass, I suggest you get out of here. I'll tell the templars that your trail went cold or something like that."

"Perhaps you should leave the stories to the dwarf. It doesn't sound like you could come up with anything that can even resemble the genius behind 'the Viscount's love child from his elven mistress.'"

Varric laughed at that as the Feynriel moved towards the area of the cave we had come from, avoiding the tunnel that was littered with charcoaled corpses at the moment. _"Squeamish pussy."_

"He's lucky my wrist's broken. Otherwise, I would have slapped the magic out of him for saying that," I joked once Feynriel had disappeared.

"I don't exactly think you can slap that magic out of someone, Luna," Anders mentioned, lightly.

"You doubt that I could do it?"

"No, I know you could do it. I just feel sorry for whatever mage you decide to use as a test subject."

"Well," I replied, turning to face him, "don't piss me off and you've got nothing to worry about."

I started to make my way to the tunnel that Feynriel had avoided, accidently kicking up some of the ash from the flesh and clothes of the slavers.

"You sure you want to go through that tunnel? Who knows what's up there," Varric said.

"If we're lucky, it'll be a shortcut and we won't have to trudge through the rain as long as we did getting here."

"How do you know it's still raining?"

"See the water running down the edges of the tunnel, Varric?" I asked, pointing to the runoff scraping a path in the dirt, sand, and rock that hung loosely on the edges of the walls and floor. "That means it's still raining."

"Oh," he responded shortly.

Walking at a normal pace now we made our way past the bodies that had tried to run, we were now snaking our way through the burnt corpses of the main group. "Ah, the smell of burnt flesh," I said in a tone that mocked one of fascination. "It's quite exhilarating, no?"

"You worry me sometimes, Little Hawke," Varric teased.

"Geez, can't even take a joke anymore."

"Joking about death isn't a good thing to do," Fenris added.

"Only when it takes the lives of those that don't deserve to die yet," was my quick response.

"Hmmm, you do have a point there."

"Don't I always?" I asked.

"I guess," Fenris answered, "though sometimes it's hard to find."

"I like being illusive."

"You're mostly confusing."

I looked back at Fenris to give him one of my "you are so dead" glares only to be greeted by a very smug grin of his that stopped me in my tracks and made my blood boil. It was boiling not with anger, mind you, but with embarrassment. That stupid grin of his made me speechless. _"Damn that elf. One moment he makes me hate him and the next he's smiling at me."_

"Broody, I think you better start running," Varric warned.

"...Why?"

"Because something tells me that you're about to get slapped."

"But her wrist is broken," Fenris argued. "It would hurt her more than me."

Varric's sigh echoed throughout the tunnel, "It's your pride on the line."

Fenris just snorted in disbelief at his remark.

"Silly elf," I teased, "I only broke ONE of my wrists. I still have one to slap you with if I had the desire to. I do not, but that's not the point."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The slippery tunnel we had been traversing was slowly starting to open up, and soon the wind threw the rain against us once more. _"Great, even after all this time in this damn cave, it's still raining. At this rate I'm probably going to catch a cold. That's certainly not a good thing to have when living with a mage who can't even cast a minor healing spell."_

I no longer had sleeves to cover my arms having to use them for my little makeshift brace which meant that I had nothing to shield my arms from the cold. Rain, even in a light drizzle, can turn your body to ice with the right amount of wind, and unfortunately for me the wind decided to overkill how much was needed to freeze me to the spot. This tunnel, which had originally been a shelter from the wind in rain, was now channeling the elements towards us making us cold and miserable and also making everything significantly more wet than before, which, in turn, made everything significantly more slick as well.

"Son of a—" I cried out as my foot slipped out from underneath me.

I waited for the crash and pain that would occur once I hit the rocky ground, but it never came. Instead, someone had caught me and held me up. It was Fenris that had kept me from getting hurt more than I already had been from earlier falls.

Looking back at him, I saw a smile tugging at his lips as he shook his head. "You are terrible at walking."

"Well, surfaces are slippery when wet."

Fenris only chuckled before he scooped me up in his arms and began to carry me.

I let out a startled shriek when he picked me up. "What the hell are you doing!"

"Carrying you," he joked. "I thought that would be obvious."

"No you are not going to carry me! Put me down now, Fenris, or so help me I will—"

"Don't worry, Luna. I'll put you down once we are out of this cave and over any hills that may be nearby." Fenris had a tight grip on me and I struggled, in vain, against him, trying to break free. "Though if you keep flailing around," he added, "I'll drop you, and I'm pretty sure that'll hurt quite a bit more than being carried." So, I stopped struggling. He was too strong anyways.

"Varric, help me out here, please."

"Sorry, Little Hawke. I'm with Broody on this one," came a swift reply. He was no doubt trying to keep himself from laughing.

I turned my head and looked over Fenris' shoulder. "Traitor," I hissed at him.

Varric held up his hands in a mock defense and ducked behind Anders in case I managed to throw something at him. Not that trying to use Anders as a shield worked very well since he sidestepped out of the way.

"Damn it, Fenris! Put me down!"

"You didn't seem to mind me carrying you last time," he said, trying to get me to calm down and let myself be carried, which of course wasn't going to happen.

"Last time I was bleeding to death and no idea what the fuck was going on!" I started to struggle against him again. "I. Don't. Want. To. Be. Carried!"

"Perhaps you should listen to her, Fenris," Anders said in a cold and steely tone that was an obvious challenge to Fenris, "and put her down like she wants."

Fenris stopped walking. Everything stopped, or so it seemed. It was like everything was holding its breath as the tension that had just asserted itself in the air dragged out the seconds. Then, with rigid movements, Fenris slowly set me back down on my feet and turned to face Anders.

The hatred was almost visibly burning between the two of them, but there was something else. Something that was in and behind their hate that I hadn't noticed before. Something that I was quite surprised to see. Jealousy._ "Maker, you're kidding me right? There's no way that they are jealous, that they care about me like that. I'm just crazy and seeing things...I wish I was at least."_

I tried to think of some way to break the hostility and the silence, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not come up with one. I knew, however, that if I did come up with something to say it wouldn't make a difference. Nor would anything I did change the situation. Anders and Fenris would always be at each other's throats for their different view and ideas on things...and for me I guess. _"Everything always has to be complicated, doesn't it?"_

"Hey," I finally said, putting a dent in the silence and interrupting the stare down between Fenris and Anders, "I just remembered that I have something else that needs to get done tonight. I'll see you guys later."

As soon as those words were out of my mouth, I bolted away from them. _"Coward!"_ I chided myself as I ran through the rest of the tunnel.

Not once did I slip or fall on the slick surface of the rock from the cave or the mud once I had gotten back on to the Wounded Coast. Nor did I feel the immense pain coming from my wrist caused by it being shaken as I ran. The wind and rain battered against me, but how freezing it was and how miserable it made me was ignored, too.

All that mattered was running. All that mattered to me right now was putting a great distance between myself and Fenris and Anders. _"Hah, so much for harmless flirting!"_ My breath was coming out ragged now, and my sides and legs were screaming at me to stop or slow down. Their screaming was drowned out by the chaotic, out of tune chorus coming from my lungs as it sung about how I needed air.

So, I stopped. Gasping for breath, I leaned forward and braced myself with one arm against my knee. My hair and clothes were plastered to my skin from the rain, and everything finally caught up to me.

I groaned aloud and clutched my broken wrist to my stomach. The cold rain had a slight numbing affect, but my swollen, throbbing wrist wasn't going to be ignored. _"Ok, so now I regret making fun of Anders. I could use a bit of healing."_

Looking up, I couldn't help but laugh. There in front of me were the gates of Kirkwall. I had managed to run all the way 'home' under the worst conditions and still ended up coming to a place where you would favor living in the woods than that hell hole. This storm, which was getting worse by the minute, was actually a nice reprieve from the shit us refuges had to suffer day to day in Kirkwall, and I found that funny. _"Trying to escape a storm only to end up in a place worse than the Void itself...is that irony or just sad?"_

The rain started to pound down a lot harder than before, and that was when I decided to continue on my way to hell. I glanced casually over my shoulder, hoping that I could possibly tell whether or not my friends were behind me and all right, but the rain was falling too thickly for me to see anything in the distance.

"_I hope they make it back alright...and without killing each other. Maker knows it will be difficult for those two."_

With the rain chasing me all the way, I walked through Kirkwall's gates and into Lowtown, heading towards the hovel I had been forced to call home.

* * *

><p>"So, the Little Hawke gains her eagle eyes at last," Varric mused after a bit. He had been left in a tunnel with two people that were always at each other's throats.<p>

There had originally been one more person in their merry band of misfits that kept the peace, more or less, but when she realized something about the two who were always baying for the other's blood, she had smartly chosen to get the hell out of there. Varric didn't blame her for that. Jealousy was a dangerous thing even when you aren't feeling the emotion, but it's because of you.

"Why are you so infatuated with her surname?" Fenris asked, his voice sounding somewhere between disgust and bitterness.

"It's not every day that you end up with a friend whose last name is also a type of bird," Varric explained. "There are so many good jokes and scenarios to go along with it."

"Do I even want to know?"

Everyone's mood had gotten noticeably sourer now that Luna was gone. Well, everyone's mood except for Varric's. He was as happy and dirty minded as he always was, which explains his answer.

Varric cleared his throat and began to talk as if he was reciting something he had read. "Luna, with her eye, glowing like two silver moons, pressed her feather soft skin against his chest, and, with graceful movements as if she were flying, she reached with her talons towards his—"

"STOP!"

Anders voice was shaking with anger and seemed to shake all of Thedas with it. His voice also had a strange twist to it, similar to the way he had spoken when Varric first met him...when he had first seen him be possessed by Justice.

"Come on, Blondie," Varric teased, "there's nothing wrong with a little friend-fiction. I do it out of love."

"Just stop," was all Varric got.

No more conversation was struck between the three companions. They just walked on in silence towards Kirkwall, but not without on last remark from Varric.

"This is going to be a long, cold, wet, miserable walk back home. Especially since Little Hawke isn't here to make us laugh as she slips and falls in the mud," he chuckled quietly to himself. "You're going to have to tell me about that spell of yours, Blondie. You know, the one you used to make sure Little Hawke didn't hear us as we laughed our asses off as she fell on hers? I'm sure there are plenty of good stories to go with that one."

Only the rain spoke back to him as it steadily grew louder and clamored on any exposed surface.

~~.0.~~

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><p><strong>I officially hate you school...you're taking away from my writing time -_- and do you care? No. *sigh* I apologize for the delay on postings. School is such a pain in the ass, but hopefully I have figured out a system that lets me get writing in and pass my classes.<strong>

**Thank you for reading :) If anything's wrong or you have a suggestion, please tell me in a reviewy thingy.**


	37. Chapter 37: Sheltered Planning

**Chapter 37**

"Ah, so the bitch finally arrives! It's about time you came back home, princess."

He's drunk, totally wasted, hammered. Call it what you will, but none of those titles describe the condition he's in. He is beyond all of them. It's reeking from him. Pouring from his breath and snaking its way through the air on its path to taint everything. It clings to every surface and makes everything sticky and disgusting to touch, even the air.

And what do I do? I just stand there, drenched, in the doorway, staring at him. My whole body is frozen, and it's not because of what he said. No, I'm used to getting called a bitch. It's because the water that's caused me to be soaked from head to toe is fucking cold, making me fucking cold, ergo causing me to be frozen. But not literally. If I wanted to kick his ass I could totally do it. Alcohol does funny things to you though, and he probably wouldn't remember what happened tomorrow anyways. So, I simply continue standing there, waiting for him to move out of the way or pass out.

"Well, don't just stand there, walk your sweet little ass over here and give your uncle a hug!" Gamlen spreads his arms wide for the hug he wants and the empty bottle of whisky he was holding slips from his hands and crashes to the floor.

Noticing that I wasn't making any move towards him, he tries to walk towards me and manages to stagger a bit and take something that resembles a step towards me before he loses his balance, and his arms, that were open for a hug, now flail about as he attempts to stay standing. With a grunt of effort, Gamlen finally caught his balance and glares up at me.

In all the time he had wasted parading around and trying to regain his composure, I hadn't moved a muscle or said a word. I was still standing in the exact same spot and in the exact same position. Hands at my sides, fists clenched, with water dripping from my hair and clothes. I was also shivering uncontrollably. _"Andraste's tits, I'm so cold!"_

My silence apparently offended Gamlen in some way, shape, or form, though, and he expressed his displeasure. "Maker, you are such a bitch!" he snarled. "You walk in here like you own the place, thinking that because you're working on some big shot job that goes into the Deep Roads that you mean something." Gamlen staggered towards me a bit more and by now both Mother and Garrett had heard the ruckus and were now appearing to watch what was happening. "You think that because you have skill that you actually are somebody in this Maker forsaken place. But listen here, sweetie, you are nothing! You will always be nothing!" He was closer now and the smell of his cheap alcohol made me want to throw up on him just to get this place to smell better. "You may have been some high rolling officer that called the shots in the army, but that life is over! Everyone from Ostagar is dead and your rank means nothing now! So, go ahead and strut about like you've got pride or, or...honor! But I know the truth!" Gamlen is now standing directly in front of me. His beady little eyes only inches away from my own. "And the truth is," he hisses at me, "is that you are just a stuck up cunt who couldn't even make a living by selling your body because no one would want you!"

Uncle Gamlen's lying on the ground now, squirming in pain with his eyes wide open in surprise. Now he has a broken jaw and nose caused by my fists as I teach him a lesson. His nose is gushing blood as are his busted up lips. He's trying to cover his face and block the punches I throw at him but to no avail. I'm hammering him with blows for what he said. Ribs break, skin will turn an assortment of colors as welts and bruises appear in the shape of my knuckles. Gamlen may be drunk, but he will never forget this night. This is the night where he learned one of the most important rules. 'Don't fuck with Luna.' He has also found out that he has every right to fear me.

I grab my uncle's shirt and drag his sorry, bloody, beaten ass along the ground before I open the door and throw him out into the rain. The door slams in his face and I quickly lock it, before placing my back against the door and slowly sliding down it. Gamlen runs at the door and slams against it with all his weight, trying to break it open, but the door doesn't budge and a second attempt doesn't follow.

His words hurt me. Even though I know they're not true, they still hurt. They will always hurt. It's the way things go. The way things are. It's life, and this is what happens sometimes. There's good and there's bad and you just take it in stride and only let your reaction to the good show.

Footsteps approach me, and someone kneels down in front of me. I don't look up. Not even when that someone linked their hands in mine or as I pulled away when the contact and movement hurt my wrist. I do breathe in sharply from the pain, though.

"Are you all right?" Mother asked. She has obviously seen my little brace I had made on the Wounded Coast, or she heard my gasp when she caused me to move my wrist.

"Sorry I didn't get here sooner," I said, forcing a smile as I ignored her question. "I forgot it was my turn to throw his drunken ass out."

"You should be," Garrett teased in a voice that made me want to kick him in the face. "We had to listen to his bitching for hours now."

"Don't worry," I sighed, "it won't happen again."

"Luna, you're shivering." Worry was all you could hear in Mother's voice. I still was having difficulty getting used to that. It's a little weird having her actually showing that she cares for me, and it'll probably take a while before I am used to it.

"The rain's cold and the wind's cold," I replied. "You kind of find both of them outside."

"And you were out in it the entire time? Do you want a blanket or something to keep warm with?"

"Aside from the few minutes spent in a cave? Yes, I was in the rain the entire time." I slowly rose to my feet, and my muscles screamed in the process as they stretched and found out that they had cramped up. "And no thank you. I'm not going to stay here."

"What? Why?" Garrett had disappeared and it was now only Mother and I in the room. _"Of course he didn't stick around. He may fool Mother, but I still know he doesn't care about me. I don't think he ever will."_

"I have something I still have to do." It was a lie and not a very good one at that. Mother saw right through it, but she didn't push the subject anymore.

"Just...be careful, okay?"

I gave her a nod and she slowly turned away and went back into her room, leaving me to my thoughts. A dangerous thing to do sometimes. _"Oh boy, what a night this has been! The best part is, is that it still hasn't ended! Yippee!"_

Moving silently, I entered the room that Garrett and I shared and retrieved my cloak, hissing as I was forced to move, and use, my broken wrist once more.

"With the amount of times you hiss and spit," came an insulting voice that was, of course, Garrett's, "you'd think that you were a cat."

"And for being the son of a powerful mage, you'd think you'd have some balls and skill, but you're just a pathetic pussy."

I donned my cloak and pulled down the hood. _"This should offer me some protection from the wind and rain... for a little while at least."_

"Maker, you're such a bitch," Garrett breathed as I passed him, saying the exact same thing that Gamlen had. _"Well, would you look at that. Gamlen and Garrett both start with the letter "g" and both of them are complete assholes. Coincidence? I think not!"_

I was going over to my wooden chest to put Olivia's letter, which I had successfully managed to keep dry, inside it so that I wouldn't lose it. As I opened the chest something reflected a bit of the dim light in the room and caught my eye. I placed the letter inside and gingerly picked up what had reflected the light. It was a small, heart-shaped locket with a silver chain._ "I don't remember owning any jewelry other than the necklace Zach gave me. Where did this come from? It certainly is beautiful, though."_

Not wanting Garrett, the greedy bastard, to see the locket and demand that I sell it, I quickly stashed it away in the same spot I had put the letter. That way I would remember that it was there even if I didn't know where it had come from. Once both of them were safe and in a place where they would be remembered, and seen, I locked the lid and made my exit from the room and then from the hovel.

Gamlen had disappeared, which was a good thing, but I knew that we would never get lucky enough from him to be murdered somewhere in the back alleys by a local gang of thugs. Hawkes aren't known for their luck, just their skill. Well, Father and I were known for our skills at least. Garrett's just known for being a complete dickhead.

"Ah, rain. How much I've missed you," I whispered aloud before walking towards the safest part of Kirkwall, Hightown.

Though I almost died in the process, Aveline, Fenris, Isabela, and I did manage to kill all of the bandits that were plaguing those streets. _"And all I got for that was just a story. No scar thanks to Anders, and I believe he worked hard at making sure of that."_

The rain was relentless. It continued to pour down and its sound was deafening at times. The wind was also continuing to be a nuisance as it constantly blew my cloak off of my shoulder, exposing me to the cold. I was having difficulty keeping the cloak on me in the first place with one hand of mine out of commission. But now, with the wind and rain, it was damn near impossible.

Trying to use the houses, mansions, of Hightown as a shield worked a little bit. Every now and then one of them would be in the perfect spot to block the wind for a short time, and then some buildings just made things so much worse. How this is possible is beyond me, but it did happen, and it sucked.

The worst part about this little trip through Hightown was that I didn't know where I was heading. I was just walking through the streets disconnected, clearing my head with the rain, and diving for cover behind buildings to avoid the wind. No conscience thought went into my location or my destination. I was just merely moving on instinct while zoning out and sifting through things that had happened and needed to be done in an attempt to form a plan for tomorrow.

"_Anders said he wanted to come with me when I give Ser Thrask his daughter's letter...which means we should go there sometime in the afternoon, when it's busiest. The templars won't be able to study everyone as closely as they'd like to when there are a lot of people. Also, that locket. I know it's not mine...maybe Anders will know. It's a long shot that he does, but it's still a chance."_

A steady, rhythmic, tune was being played as the rain continued to 'plunk' against every exposed surface as I walked on. I had yet to pay attention to where I was going. Only when I realized, by instinct, that there were no more buildings in the immediate area, did I look up to see where I was.

I was in a courtyard with the golden statue of Andraste looming above the Chanter's board. _"The Chantry? I didn't think I had walked this far. But I was in need of a safe haven and a place to rest. I guess the Chantry fits those classifications quite well."_

Without a second thought on the matter, I slowly began to make my way across the courtyard and toward the stairs that lead to the overly elaborate, Chantry doors.

A loud hiss came to my ears just as an arrow stuck itself firmly in the ground before my feet.

Several figures started to emerge from the shadows. _"Thinking leads to distraction, which causes you to fail at being aware and, ultimately, surviving. Need to remember that."_

"So, a beautiful woman decides to take an evening stroll in the rain to go and repent her sins at the Chantry," a large, hooded figure in front of me says. His voice is like gravel and it sounds like it's being choked on in his throat. He's carrying a bow and I assume he's the one that fired the arrow at me. There were also two men walking behind him as he descended the stairs closest to me. "That's almost poetic."

Turning my head to either side, I see that there are four others that have now appeared from behind me and slowly start to form a large, half circle around me. They made sure to leave more than enough room in the front of me so that the three walking down the stairs could complete the circle.

"What makes you think I'm beautiful? For all you know, I could be ugly," I called out to him.

The man with the bow chuckles, and soon the others join in with their own laughter, now that their leader has _given_ his permission for them to do so.

"Well, you're certainly not a noble. They would have asked what I wanted by now." He's at the bottom of the stairs and is completing the circle with the two others behind him. "As for your question, only people with extremely good looks or extremely deep pockets carry themselves as proudly as you do." The man with the bow breaks away from the circle and takes a couple of steps towards me. "I'm gonna wager that you've got both," he added rather creepily.

I folded my arms and took up a casual stance. "In case the accent didn't tip you off, I am a Fereldan refugee. That means I've got no money." I may not be able to see the bastard, but I can feel the stupid smile that crosses his face at my smart assed remark. It made my skin crawl. "Perhaps there is a reason why I have a hood to hide my face, too."

"What? Do you have an ugly facial scar or something?" his smile turned into a perverted grin, making my blood itch. "I'm sure you'll find someone to look past that, Sweetheart."

"_Don't call me that!"_ it's dark and cold and raining, but I can still tell and feel his eyes wondering where they shouldn't. Fake laughter pours from my lips, "Hell, even my _mother_ tells me that only the Maker could love me. My own mother said that, and she hasn't been proven wrong yet."

"You think I care?" He takes more steps towards me, stopping when he's directly in front of me. "You tits, ass, and unarmed; and tonight, I'm feeling a little lonely.

"I'm not unar—" terror runs through my body as I realized he's right. _"I am unarmed! When did I remove my swords! I don't even remember setting them down!"_

I'm thankful that my hood obscures my face and that it's dark so that there is no chance the man with the bow can see my eyes wide open with fear and shock. Images, memories, flash before me. I remember the click of the door's lock as I turn it, and the crash that follows after when Gamlen throws all his weight against the door. Then, I remember what has doomed me at the moment. Before I slid down the door, I had unbuckled the leather straps securing my swords to my back and set them on a table besides the door. I was worried about damaging my swords and hurting myself on them, but when I had left, I completely forgot about them. _"Maker curse you, you fucking piece of shit, stupid ass, son of a bitch! How the fuck do you forget your own damn swords! And what's with all these fucking men that only want to rape people, huh! Don't they have something better to do!"_

"So how about you and I go into this alley here and have a little fun?" The man with the bow is still too damn close to me and still has that perverted grin on his face. My rage at him and myself has me coming up with many scenarios in which I smash all his teeth in, rip off his ears, and stuff them down his throat. This is after I break all his arms and legs, and before I leave him face down in a puddle.

"Go fuck yourself!" I spat at him.

"Oh, don't be like that..."

I somehow hear movement behind me even with the rain and spin around just in time to duck out of the way of an incoming fist. Before the fist's owner has a chance to pull his arm back, I grab his wrist and use all my strength as I smash my free arm into his elbow, shattering it and leaving his arm at a very awkward angle. The man howls in pain as his brain realizes that his elbow is shattered, and that it does hurt. My own wrist screams in pain, but I ignore it as I shatter the same guys kneecap with a swift, strong kick.

He went down hard, crying and screaming as he fell; and as soon as he was down I moved around him and brought my foot down on his neck in to finish him off.

Another one came at me as soon as his buddy was dead, the blade of his dagger flashing just a hairsbreadth away from my face.

"No!" the man with the bow cried out, "Don't kill her!"

His warning, or order, was not needed though. I had already snatched the dagger from my attacker's hand and buried it in his stomach. Then, I began to rip it up through his body. Flesh and cloth parted, letting his blood and organs escape as the dagger cut through him before it finally encountered muscle and bone that held it fast.

Shoving him to the ground, I spun around to see what was coming, from where, and with what. _"Two down, five to go." _Something smashing into my face made me lose my focus momentarily and caused me to recoil and cry out in alarm. I could taste the metallic, warm, sticky blood in my mouth.

Quickly regaining my balance and composure I looked up just in time to catch the second blow to my face in my hands. The guy that had actually managed to hit me was a big guy. He had very broad shoulders and was extremely tall. He was practically qunari size with a beat up greatsword on his back. _"That could come in handy."_

Throwing his arm to the side to put him slightly off balance, I quickly rushed forward to seize the sword off his back and turn it against him. I wasn't able to get anywhere near his back, though, because someone grabbed me from behind me and held me tightly. I struggled in vain against the strong arms that held me before another blow landed on my face, causing my nose to bleed this time. Qunari man struck once more and this time it was in the stomach, causing me to lose my breath and had me gasping for air before his next blow came.

"Make her pay for killing two of us!" the leader called. He was staying out of the fray and sending his lackeys after me. _"Coward! Can't even face an unarmed woman!"_

Qunari man came at me to land another blow that clearly had more force behind it because of his boss' orders, but he got too close and my leg shot out in a good, strong, solid, kick below the belt. He doubled over and before he recovered I smashed the back of my head into the face of the person holding me. The arms wrapped around me loosened, and I managed to tear myself free.

Without wasting any time, I moved to Qunari Man and grabbed the hilt of his greatsword with both of my hands. Pain spread from my wrist like wildfire up and down my arm, and it was becoming difficult to ignore. I buckled down, though, and did my best as I jerked the sword off of his back and brought it crashing down on the guy who had held me.

His chest split open and blood shot out of the wound. With an agonized cry, he fell to the ground, his hands desperately trying to keep the blood in. It wasn't going to work. He had a minute, maybe two, before he bled to death.

Qunari Man had yet to recover from the kick to the groin I had dealt him, so, with a couple of hindered steps from the greatsword's weight, I lunged at him with his sword, hoping that it would meet him. And it did, quite beautifully, too. The sword had gone right through the middle of his chest.

Letting go of the sword, whose weight my wrist could no longer bear, I looked for the man with the bow and the two others who had been standing next to him. My heart was racing and I was convinced that everyone could probably hear it over the noisy rain. I shook my head from side to side to clear the water from my eyes, thinking that, that was the reason I couldn't see my other attackers, but it wasn't. Very little is visible at night and even less is visible when it's raining. I could not see my enemies or hear them, and a small flicker of panic ran through me before I let it be extinguished by the rain.

"_If I can't see them...maybe it works both ways. Perhaps this dark, rainy night will keep me concealed, too...One can only hope."_

I froze and slowly turned my head in a continued search for the three remaining men I had yet to kill. I noticed a couple of pillars that supported a mansion's balcony by the Chantry and moved towards them, walking toe to heel so as not to make any noise. Puddles were everywhere across the courtyard, and one misplaced step could cause a loud, out of place splash that might alert others to your position. This, like the dark and rainy night, worked both ways as well. It could be your saving grace, or it could cause your demise under certain circumstances.

The balcony was just a few feet in front of me. _"If I can make it there I might be able to slip into the Chantry unnoticed."_ Rain and wind silhouetted anything that was exposed. Crates had a square halo around them. Barrels and wagons that were left out also had a silhouette around them that was in the exact shape they were, making it easy to figure out what was lying around. As I was scanning my surroundings, however, there was a silhouetted shape I saw but was unable to determine what would make it.

"She's over here!" someone cried and my blood ran cold. The silhouette moved towards me, and I gave up on stealth. I tried my best to get the hell out of there.

I bolted towards the archway that lead to the Viscount's Keep where maybe I could find a guard or someone to help me. If I had any hope in my desperate little escape attempt though, it would have been thrown on the ground, kicked a few times, and then stomped on until it was nothing but a bloody pulp of despair. The reason being that, as soon as I got close to getting away, someone stepped out in front of me with their sword drawn. _"I can't keep running anymore."_

It was cold and dark and wet, and I was in pain and running out of stamina. There was no way from me to win this fight without getting seriously hurt or dying. There was also no way I was going to let myself get caught, however, so before the guy who got in my way had a chance to grab me, I swiftly altered my course and ran towards the stairs that lead up to the more expansive mansions of Hightown. With two creepy ass guys following me, the pressure was on.

"_Fucking guards have to close the gate, blocking off the stairs that lead down to Lowtown from here! It's not like it keeps the thugs out or anything!" _

The _expensive_ mansions in Hightown are close together and offer few to no places to hide, but while working with Meran I discovered a hidden alleyway that leads right to Darktown. If I could make it there, then I would have a chance at getting away. Getting to there without them following me through the alley would be the tricky part. _"By Andraste's unshaven twat, these smoke bombs better work in the rain, or I'm screwed!"_

Remember how I described what hope I might have had would have been treated like when the guy, who is now chasing me along with the other one, stepped out in my way? Take that description, make it ten times more gorey, and you'll have an accurate version of what would have happened to hope when the guy with the bow stepped out on top of the stairs I was now racing up.

I had reached the middle of the stairs and had an arrow trained on me by the guy with the bow. Looking over my shoulder, I could see that the other two who had been on my heels were now at the base of the stairs, weapons drawn, and waiting. I had fallen into a trap, and the humor of it made me laugh rather morbidly. _"I let these three distract me with their grunts while they laid the actual trap. What a fool I am! Well, there goes my plan of not getting caught. Fuck...I wonder if I get to keep my life if I surrender."_

Tension on the bow that was aiming an arrow at me was relaxed as the guy holding it started laughing. "You were this close to actually escaping, you know? Still, you fell into my simple trap all the same." The arrow was returned to its quiver and he slowly started walking down towards me.

"I just killed four of your men easily and without a weapon of my own. Do you really think coming closer to me is a good idea?" I casually said in my badass tone. _"Let's hope I can bluff my way out of here."_

He's two steps above me and I can see his sick and disgusting smile clearly. "You won't be any more trouble, I'm sure."

The kick to my stomach comes out of nowhere, and there's no way for me to catch my balance. Pain sears through me as I crash down the stairs. Bruises will come, bones become bruised, wounds become worse, and blood trickles in my mouth. My head smacks against the stone floor of the courtyard once my fall is complete, and a memory flashes before my eyes.

* * *

><p>"<em>Well that <em>_**didn't**__ work out like you wanted!"_

_The darkspawn have surrounded us. A few of the men clad in armor with a red rose on them lie on the ground near us. My plan didn't work out. We still have others nearby, but the odds that they get here in time are slim._

_The darkspawn have surrounded us, but they haven't attacked. Curiosity flows through me before I push it back and focus on the task at hand._

"_What's plan B, Luna?" a soothing voice asks. It's Zach's and he's standing next to me, fallowing me into battle and helping me get through it without any care for his well being._

_I hesitate. Plan B is not one I wanted to use. Beating the darkspawn is part of it, but so is extreme loss of life is as well. My regiment trusts me and there is no way I will let them die just to kill these darkspawn._

"_Stop stalling!" Kaim called out. "We need to do something before they decide to attack! What's the plan!"_

"_Come on, Luna," Zach urges quietly, "what's the plan?"_

* * *

><p>I didn't try to get up. I slowed my breathing the best I could. My heart rate decreased, my muscles relaxed, and I was allowed to remember a little more.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Yeah, Luna, what is the plan, hmm? Don't you always have a plan?<em>

"_Luna's Rose has never been defeated. Today will be no different," I replied confidently._

"_As you say, Commander," Kaim replied smart assedly, "but that's not a plan."_

_The darkspawn were slowly starting to move in, taunting us. There were fifteen of us standing inside the darkspawn's "circle." Seven others were on the ground with arrows sticking out of them. . We were greatly outnumbered, but there was still hope for all of us getting out of here alive. _

"_Thank you for volunteering, Kaim, you get to get the others."_

"_Uh...how?" Kaim asked. "We're kind of surrounded."_

"_Prepare yourselves!" I yelled loud enough for all my soldiers to hear. I reached into my pocket and grabbed a smoke bomb and hurled it at the darkspawn directly in front of us. The smoke took effect immediately. A few of the darkspawn were coughing from the smoke, others were blinded, and all of them were roaring with anger._

"_Kaim! Go now, and flank with them from the east!"_

_He was gone as soon as I finished yelling out the orders, disappearing into the smoke towards the thirty men and women I had waiting a ways away._

* * *

><p>"I think you killed her, Garth," someone said.<p>

"Nah, she's not dead. Even if she was, I owe her that much for killing my four best men," Garth replied. I was able to recognize the voice. Garth was the guy with the bow, the one that had kicked me down the stairs and _killed_ _me._

"You're an idiot, Braz," said someone different. The voice was way deeper than I thought was possible for a human voice, and it sounded like he was the guy who had spotted me by the balcony.

"You try tellin' if someone's dead or not just by lookin'," Braz responded, and only now did I realize that he actually did sound like a complete moron. "It's not easy, Vaner."

"If it was easy, you still wouldn't be able to do it," was Vaner's sharp retort.

"That's enough you two!" Garth interrupted. "Drag her over into the middle of the courtyard. Maybe that'll wake her up.

"_Poor sod doesn't know I'm not actually unconscious."_

* * *

><p><em>The darkspawn had surged forward at us as soon as the smoke bomb exploded. I had a few seconds to tell Kaim what I needed him to do before the darkspawn reached us. Whatever they had been waiting on was soon forgotten.<em>

"_Form up!" I cried, and my soldiers did so without hesitation._

_We formed a circle with six archers in the middle protected by a ring of melee fighters. On my signal, the archers released their arrows and took out the Hurlock and Genlock bolters while the others, including myself, made sure none of the darkspawn got to them._

"_Clear!" roared Kaidan, my best archer, her fire red hair waving angrily in the wind._

"_Disperse!" was my answer, and we did so._

_All of the archers had a melee partner to make sure they didn't killed while reaching for their arrows. The others fight on their own, but don't get too separated. To become isolated is to be killed. Everyone here knows that and their limits. That way they take down enemies that their abilities can handle. No one get's reckless in my regiment. I made sure of that._

_Surveying the battle, I moved towards a pair of Hurlock Alphas that were closing in on Kaidan and her partner, Zach._

_I ran towards them, moving with the flow of battle which kept me from being spotted by others. Occasionally I would land a few blows on an unsuspecting Hurlock or Genlock that would get in my way or were close enough for me to hit without having to stop. The sounds of darkspawn screaming as they died filled my ears as the battle progressed around me._

_Zach had managed to disarm one of the Hurlock Alphas with his shield when I was just a few feet away. He ran his sword through its head as I appeared behind the other Hurlock Alpha. It had its axe raised high in a killing blow, but I slashed at his back with my sword, cutting through metal and flesh. The thing howled in pain, dropping its axe before all its movement was cut off by my other sword piercing its heart._

"_Let the dead rise!" I called out._

_In quick, uniform movement the seven soldiers that had been dead, killed by arrows, leapt up of onto their feet and made short work of the darkspawn that were nearby. The arrows that had been "stuck in them" had actually been held in place by their arms or armor._

_They had been playing dead, and when they joined the battle we started making headway against the darkspawn's ranks._

* * *

><p>I was playing dead, or unconscious actually, which is a very hard thing to do when your feet, and sometimes knees, are being dragged across the hard, cold, stone, wet ground of a courtyard. Not to mention the two idiots, Braz and Vaner, were dragging me with the intention of waking me up and were continuously jerking and dropping me to do so. Also, one of the idiots, Braz I think, was dragging me by my broken wrist. The pain was unbearable, but I disconnected myself from it all. <em>"Well, plan A and B didn't work...time to go to C."<em>

"Is this the middle of the courtyard, Garth?" Braz asked.

"It's close enough. The Fereldan princess here should be thankful that the rain has cleared away most of the blood from the men she's killed."

I crashed onto the ground once more and was barely able to keep myself from catching myself on instinct.

"Is she really a Fereldan princess, Garth?" Braz asks, proving that he's the idiot Vaner accused him of being.

"No, you idiot, it's an insult!" Garth was harsh with his response; impatience was bleeding from his words.

"But how is calling her a princess an insult?" Braz continued.

"Because," Vaner snapped, "she's just a lowly refugee. A nobody. Someone who doesn't have anyone that cares about her. So, to call her something that actually means she is something is an insult."

"I don't think I understand...but it must be lonely, not having anyone to talk to," Braz added quietly and sadly. It made me almost feel bad about killing him in the next few minutes.

"Shut up, will you! Vaner, flip her over!" Garth exclaimed.

Rough hands grip my arms and flip me facing up. The rain pelts down on my face, and I'm not sure I can keep myself from blinking. _"Plan A: fight my way out and kill them all. Plan B: try escaping. Plan C: try plan A again...yeah...nothing can go wrong that, right?"_

"Not looking so fearsome now, bitch!" Garth snarled. He grips my chin hard in one of his hands and pulls me up by it till I'm practically sitting.

My eyes snap open and a startled expression started to cross his face before I let out a cry of anger and pain as I smashed my fist against his jaw. He was knocked back and I quickly rose to my feet. One swift kick and Garth was flat on his ass, and I was ready to get even with him for kicking me down the stairs. But I never got my chance to exact my revenge. Dumbass one and Dumbass two grabbed me by the arms and kept me from getting anywhere.

"That's it!" Garth roared, spitting the blood out of his mouth. "You are going to die!" He reaches to his side, dropping his bow in his fury and grabs a dagger from its sheath that was hanging on his belt.

I shake my hair and the rain out of my face and stare up at him, defiant and proud of what I accomplished. _"Time to go out with style I guess. This'll make one hell of a story for Varric, that's for sure."_

Garth rushes forward at me, but stops suddenly, pain etched in his features as he goes tense. Looking over his shoulder, he drops his dagger and grabs at something near his shoulder. With a grunt of pain, he gets a hold on whatever it is that stopped him so. He moves his hand in front of him and sees that he is holding an arrow covered in blood; his blood.

"Wha—" Another arrow flies. I hear and see it this time, and it buries itself in his head and he drops like a heavy sack.

Braz's grip on me loosens with surprise that is aimed towards his boss dying without any indication at who did it. Varner, on the other hand, takes his chance to pull me in front of him, placing his sword to my throat. He's using me as a human shield.

"Come out where I can see you and set your weapons on the ground where I can see them, or the woman dies," Varner threatens.

For a moment there's silence before a heavily accented voice replied, "If I do this, do you promise not to harm her?"

"Maybe," Vaner said coldly, he wasn't promising anything till he knew he could get out of here alive with no one chasing him.

"Very well," the accented stranger said, "I will come out."

I struggled against Vaner a little to see how good or poor his hold on me was and found to my disdain that he was rather good at holding women as hostages and human shields. "Just take the shot!" I called out to the stranger, trying a new tactic. "I'll be fine!" I threw myself forward to make a point, to myself and Vaner, and he tightened his grip on me. A small pinprick of pain came from my neck as his sword broke the skin.

"Come on Vaner," Braz piped up, "there's no need for that. Garth's dead. We don't need to do this anymore."

"Shut the fuck up Braz!" Vaner yelled. "I always knew you were a softie, but this is pushing it!"

By now the stranger with the accent had appeared in front of us. I was just able to make him out, but even then I wouldn't be able to describe him. Hell, I couldn't even describe Garth; and he was in my face at one point.

The rain started to lesson until only a few drops would fall here and there, giving me new strength and determination to continue this ridiculously long fight.

"That's close enough!" Vaner shouted. "Drop your weapons now!"

"_Let's turn the tables."_ I stopped supporting myself with my legs, dropping suddenly. Vaner felt the increase in weight and his response was to move his sword forward and try to catch me, or at least keep me as a shield. This is what I wanted him to do because before I crashed to my knees I regained my footing and head butted him in the chin. Pain shot through my head, but I didn't have time to pay attention. I quickly spun out of the way and turned back to face Vaner, who was still recoiling from the blow to his chin. He was never able to fully recover, though, since the stranger let loose another arrow that cut off his life.

Another arrow was in place and the string was drawn back and taut with tension as the stranger trained the arrow on Braz. Relaxing my stance, I moved over to Braz, holding a hand up to tell the stranger not to kill him yet.

"Garth was stupid for picking you," Braz joked nervously.

"Yes, and now he's dead. As are all his men, except for you," I responded bluntly.

"Something tells me that it isn't going to stay that way," he said quietly, looking down at his feet.

"Well, that depends. What's your story?" I asked and Braz looked confused for a moment, so I clarified. "Why are you here, doing this?"

"'My wife and kids' is the story Garth told me to tell...but that's not true. I'm doin' this type of stuff because of my sister and her daughter," Braz explained. "They got it pretty bad and it was decent pay workin' with Garth. I'm not proud of it, but I don't need pride. I need to make sure my sister and niece have food every day."

"Hmmmm...everyone needs somebody, and as you can see, I am not alone. I have friends," his story rang of a similar tune I hear all the time from the refugees. "One of which might be able to help you. Go to the Viscount's Keep tomorrow morning and ask for Guard Captain Aveline. Tell her your story and what happened tonight. Then tell her that a Hawke sent you and is calling in a favor."

"Uh...thank you, miss," he said with mixed feelings. "And sorry for the whole trying to kill you thing. It was just orders."

I gave a curt nod in understanding before Braz turned around and ran out of the courtyard, lest I change my mind and decide to kill him after all, but I had given him an opportunity to repent his actions. I wasn't going to snatch it away from him just as it was in reach. Not even he deserved that. _"He'd make a fine brute. Big and stupid. That's all you need when it comes to big guys who can do the heavy lifting."_

"Do you really think it was smart to let him go?" the stranger asked as he came to stand next to me.

I didn't turn to look at him and just continued to stare out across the courtyard. Something about his voice seemed oddly familiar. "Smart, no. Kind, yes," I answered quietly. My voice no longer needed to compete with the rain, meaning that I had no need to speak as loud. "Aveline is a friend and the Captain of the Guard. She'll either punish him for trying to kill me tonight, or she'll see that he'd make a fine brute for her guards and hire him. Either way, he doesn't die needlessly."

"Like the ones lying dead in the courtyard?" his tone and accent were harsher than before. _"Northern Free Marches, that's where his accent is from."_

"They attacked me," I said quietly, "and they weren't planning on killing me first."

"I...I am sorry," he breathed quietly, realizing how harsh he sounded before he let out a bitter laugh, "Here I am getting mad at you defending yourself, and I haven't even asked if you are alright." The stranger slung his bow across his back and moved in front of me. I could just make out the gleam of white armor. "Are you alright?"

"Ask my friends and they'll tell you not to trust my answers to those kinds of questions," I chuckled, finally heading over to the Chantry, now that I was able to continue my walk.

"Oh, why is that?" he matched my pace and walked with me.

"Because I have a tendency to lie about them so that people don't worry or fuss over me. I hate to be trouble."

"That makes sense." The stranger and I had just reached the stairs leading up to the Chantry and began to ascend them. "Tell me, why did you decide to come to the Chantry at such a late and dangerous time?"

"I'm not really sure, actually," I hummed. "I was trying to run away from a storm, and my feet just led me here. It wasn't part of my plan, or any plan for that matter. I was just pulled here I guess."

"May I ask what kind of storm you were running from?"

"You certainly do ask a lot of questions for someone I haven't met," I teased.

"Well, I can remedy that." The stranger stopped and turned towards me and bowed slightly. "I am Sebastian Veal, prince of Starkhaven, though the Grand Cleric would probably prefer me to introduce myself as a brother of the Chantry."

"So we have met, my bad," I laughed nervously. _"I just got my ass saved by a bloody prince! One that I killed mercenaries for, no less!"_

"Pardon?" the confusion in his voice was obviously shown on his face, even if I couldn't see it.

"Luna Hawke," I said calmly. "I'm the one that..." _"killed mercenaries for you. Yeah, that sounds like a wonderful explanation."_

"Avenged my family," he filled in without making it sound like a big deal. "I must say that I didn't expect to see you again."

"Nor I you," I admitted, "but I have a funny way of bumping into people at the most interesting times. Like now, for instance."

"So you don't make a habit of running into the people you've only met once before?" he joked. "That's a good thing."

"You're telling me," I laughed. "Thank you by the way, for saving my skin. I greatly appreciate it."

Sebastian's laughter echoed off of the stone walls of the Chantry. "I'm glad I was able to help."

I stopped in front of the big, golden Chantry doors, the intricate detail on them depicting Andraste and the blazing sun that was a symbol for the Maker. It was quite amazing and a bit daunting if you thought about it for too long. Sebastian moved toward the doors and opened one, looking back to see if I was still following. The smell of incense wafted around me along with warm air, and I involuntarily shivered before giving Sebastian a nod and walking into the Chantry.

The door shut behind us with a muffled boom and both Sebastian and I were chased by the shadows that had been sent dancing by the candles as they flickered because of the wind. The candles just barely illuminated this place of prayer, but it was plenty to see by compared to outside. I let out a loud, relaxed sigh. The warmth, the smells, and the quiet put me at ease. Peacefulness was the only thing you could feel in here, and with it came a sense of security. Of safety, and I could finally let my guard down.

"You dodged my earlier question quite well," Sebastian said lightly.

"Indeed I did. Ask me again in a few minutes, and I will answer it."

"Why in a few minutes?" he asked.

"I'm almost positive that you are going to do your best to make sure all my wounds have been tended to," I chuckled.

Sebastian laughed at what I said. No doubt it was true. He emanated this kind and innocent nature that gave away his next move. A kind heart means that he cares, which also means that he doesn't let someone that's hurt slip away. He was a bit like Anders in that sense, save for the fact that Anders was more of a rebel than innocent.

"We've only know each other for two days, yet we have each other pegged," he said, his laughter fading down into a small chuckle.

"I'm just a good guesser," I joked.

"Very well," he said, a soft smile settling on his face, "follow me and we'll take care of all the wounds you _don't_ have."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

><p>"<em>Reinforcements are coming from the south!" someone cried.<em>

_My soldiers and I had almost dispatched all the darkspawn that had surrounded us, their bodies scattered across the ground and their blood seeping into the earth, poisoning it with their taint. Killing them was a messy business and even though it lessened their ranks, it also destroyed the land. There is no escaping their taint for some things. _

"_Brutes, push them back!" I hollered "Archers, rain death from above! Do not let them move into this clearing."_

"_Perhaps this is what the darkspawn were waiting for," Kaidan said as she let an arrow fly over the clearing towards the darkspawn reinforcements. She had been nowhere near me a moment ago, yet she was standing right beside me now. She was sneaky like that._

"_Let's not jump to conclusions," I responded before throwing myself at a few more darkspawn and cutting them to ribbons._

_The reinforcements were starting to push us back. There were too many for us to handle, and with that playing dead trick I had up my sleeve already played, I had nothing new. We just had our weapons and our skill. It was going to have to be enough._

_Just then, a Fereldan horn rang out across the field and the roar of more soldiers glided down the hills and filled everyone and everything's ears with its ferocity. Kaim had certainly taken his sweet time to get _my_ reinforcements, but he didn't pick a too shabby time at bringing them to the fight. Maker knew we could use them now._

"_Let's not allow our dear friends to take all the glory!" I cried._

_We all had a new strength that had been brought with Kaim. Our fight had slowly been turning in the darkspawn's favor, but now that our numbers were a bit more than before, we now had something the darkspawn did not. Hope. And it was going to carry us to victory. _

_The men and women under my command, command of a Hawke who had proudly codenamed their regiment Luna's Rose, surged forward to face their threat. Steel clanged, blood spilled, cries of pain rang out, and death came. As the last darkspawn fell, blood gurgling in its throat, we stood victorious, looking out across the clearing, taking in its change in both sight and mood._

"_Well done, Commander," Zach said as he came to stand beside me, slipping his hand into mine._

_I turned on my toes and planted a passionate kiss on his lips, "How many times do I have to tell you to call me by my name?" I breathed against his skin._

"_As many times as it takes for me to get tired of hearing your beautiful voice," he said softly, returning my kiss._

"_When will that be?"_

"_Never." I could feel his smile as our lips were pressed together._

"_What a romantic!" I heard Kaidan tease._

_My only response was to wrap my arm around Zach's neck and pull him closer to me. _"I love it when a plan works out," _I thought as my weariness melted along with my heart._

* * *

><p>Sebastian knew quite a bit about treating wounds, I'll give him that. He actually reset my wrist (the bone shifted out of place from either hitting Gamlen or the scuffle with Garth and his men) and gave me some herbs that turned the screaming pain I was feeling into nothing more than a dull throb. The small cuts and scrapes I received had some sort of salve rubbed across them, it smelled of elfroot and spindleweed. At first it stung, but that also faded. He was nowhere near as good as Anders was at healing others though. With or without magic.<p>

"I was unaware that brothers of the Chantry were so educated in herbology or treating wounds," I said once Sebastian had finished.

"They're not," he replied with a smile. "It was either take herbology...or learn more about 'how to resist the temptation of women.'"

"No brainer then?" I asked, returning his smile.

"Definitely."

I hummed with amusement. Sebastian and I were in a room that was in a section of the Chantry not meant for the ordinary citizens that came here to pray, repent, confess, or whatever type of business they might have here. It was just a few doors away from the rooms that some of the initiates shared and on the opposite side of the hallway where the brothers and sisters had their rooms.

"So, not to bring up a bad topic," Sebastian started, and I already knew what he was going to ask, "but what storm are you trying to find shelter from?"

"One of jealousy," I sighed.

"And who are you jealous of?" he continued, not realizing what I really meant.

"You seem to have mistaken me," I said calmly. "It is not I who feels jealousy, but it is because of me that two of my friends do."

"Are you sure they're just friends then?" Sebastian had the tone of voice and way of making you spill your darkest secrets just by the kind and raw emotion you could hear in his voice, I realized this a little too late. "Surely friends would not fight over you."

"They would if they are on opposite sides of...a conflict."

"What sort of conflict might that be?"

"One that haunts both of them," my answers were getting smaller and vaguer. I have a feeling that Sebastian sensed this or figured it out and desisted with the questions.

"I hope that their jealousy brings less trouble to you then," he said, his serious and questioning tone gone, replaced by one of a light and good nature. "It almost got you killed already."

"No," I corrected him, my lighthearted tone reasserting itself, "my stupidity was what almost got me killed. I thought I could walk the streets of Hightown, unarmed, and get away with it."

"Well, that means you returning to your home is out of the question," he said with a small smile. I was about to interrupt and argue, but he held up a hand to silence me and continued. "So you may have my room for tonight and I will take one of the spare rooms. That way no one will bother you."

"I guess...that I have no real option then," I chuckled, "seeing as you'll find some clever way of keeping me here."

"Right you are," he said, teasingly. "If you'll follow me..." That smile of his grew just a little as he held out his arm for me to take.

Sebastian led me further down the hallway to his room. It was small, but it had enough room for a writing desk, a dresser, a bed, and a small book shelf. Once inside Sebastian lent me a shirt and pair of trousers he didn't wear that often and allowed me plenty of time and privacy to change out of my wet clothes, which he hung up to dry somewhere. Then he bade me goodnight and slipped off into the hallway to one of the spare rooms he mentioned.

The silence was welcoming, and as I slipped under the blankets on Sebastian's bed, I was only allowed a couple of seconds to be grateful that I was in an actual comfy bed that had a real mattress, covers and pillows before my weariness forced my eyes shut. Sleep was very welcome after tonight's ordeal.


	38. Chapter 38: Bruised Fights

**Chapter 38**

Anders' clinic was warm and inviting, for once. The smell of healing herbs drifted all around me, and everything about it was enticing. None of his patients were lingering by the door, and none were inside, either. It looked as if Anders had gotten lucky for once and was work-free for the moment.

I walked quietly inside and watched him for a little. Light filtered in from the shafts above and seemed to be drawn around Anders for some reason, making him much more handsome than on any other day. He was working on something, potions I assume, but I couldn't tell from where I was standing. I thought about calling out to him and letting him know I was here, but I instead let this moment of perfection drag out a little longer so that I could remember it and go back to it from time to time. Something actually going right for a change is a rare thing and should be left unspoiled.

Anders slowly turned around, looking for something he needed with whatever he was working on and instead of finding it, he found me. A smile graced his lips and brightened up his features as his amber eyes flickered with happiness at seeing me.

"You should have said something, Luna," he said. "I didn't even know you were there."

"I didn't want to bother you," was my reply. His smile was contagious and I quickly caught it. "You looked like you were busy, and I didn't mind watching." Then with a raised eyebrow and a smirk I added, "The view from back here isn't all that bad."

His laughter danced around me and it made this moment much more blissful than it already was. I couldn't help but feel more drawn to him than before. Everything about him and where we were was perfect and I was silently hoping that something more than friendly flirting would come of it.

"Why don't you take off your cloak and let me take a look at that wrist of yours I said I wasn't going to heal," Anders said once his laughter had drifted off into nothingness.

Pulling at the clasp that held my cloak on my shoulders, I turned around and tossed onto a nearby table. A gasp came from Anders as I realized all too late that I probably looked terrible from last night's scuffle with Garth.

"Luna, what happened?" he asked. His kind and caring voice was edged with worry.

As I turned to face him and explain what happened I felt his hand caressing my cheeck as he ran his thumb across one of the bruises I had received. A small shiver ran down my spine. He had always been careful about where he touched me, always trying not to make them look like he cared for me a bit more than as just a friend. A sense of longing passed through my body as I wished for the impossible to happen.

"I ran into some trouble last night," I answered simply. _"He doesn't need to know all the details."_

"You should be more careful, Luna," Anders said, bowing his head slightly. "The thought of you getting hurt..." Anders had slowly drifted from my check and down my neck before it came to rest on my shoulder. More shivers ran up and down my spine.

"Hey," I said, placing my hand on his, "we both know that I can take care of myself."

He looked up at me sadness and love shone in his amber eyes, "Yes, but..."

"No buts," I interrupted quietly. "I know what I'm doing."

With slow movements I pulled myself up to his lips and kissed him. It was something I never thought possible. I always told myself that he would never allow it, yet his response told me differently.

His arms wrapped around me as he pulled me closer and he kissed me back. Soon he was parting my lips with his tongue as we began to explore each other's mouths. His hands slowly moved from my waste and drifted lower and lower. I pressed myself closer to him hoping that I could fulfill my need for him, and in doing so I could feel his need for me. He wanted me, and I wanted him.

Shivers of ecstasy ran up and down my spine from my desire to have him. One of his hands found its way under my shirt, and the cold touch of his hand made me shiver more as he slowly made his way to my breast band. Anders ended the kisses on my mouth and slowly made his way to my neck, kissing and licking as he went. My body was taut with desire as he pinned me against a nearby wall, the cold of his skin making goose bumps appear on my own.

"_...wait...cold?" _My thoughts were muddled and I was barely able to put two and two together.

My eyes snapped open, the perfection of this moment shattered with the realization that nothing was as I thought it was. I propped myself against the wall and shoved Anders back with both of my feet. "Get away from me, demon!" I spat as I took a defensive stance.

Anders' eyes were wide open with shock before a wicked smile spread across his face, contorting it into something hideous. Objects crashed and the sound of old wood being twisted and bent reached my ears. Looking around, I watched as the room changed. No longer was it the clinic I was used to. Instead it was some horrendous version of it. Blood covered almost every inch of the walls and floor, parts of the walls were being torn off by some invisible force, and the wooden beams that ran across the ceiling and held it up snapped and collapsed, bringing some of the ceiling down with it. Through the holes of the "clinic" I could see the gray, empty space of the Fade.

I looked back over to where "Anders" had been standing. No one was there. Neither him nor the demon that may have given up on disguising itself as him.

Evil laughter echoed around me and I ran to the center of this horrid place, slowly turning around in circles, trying to find the source of the laughter. I kept my defensive stance, but modified it a little so that I could move easily out of the way if the demon gave up on scare tactics.

More laughter came, twisted by the cruel nature of the demon till it almost couldn't be classified as laughter. The demon was mocking me, toying with me, trying to find out what it took to break me; but I was about to prove that I'm stronger than some of the mages that its kind ensnare often.

"I see your desire for him," came the warped female voice of the demon. "I could give him to you, if you wanted."

Her words twisted through the air and tried to cloud my thoughts. I could feel the alluring hold on me they were trying to get. Visions of Anders being with me, holding me, loving me flashed before my eyes. It was almost too good to be true. In fact, it was too good to be true. The scenes the demon was showing me were never going to happen. I was almost certain.

"Sorry, fiend," I called out, "but I prefer the real deal."

"Are you sure?" the imprisoning words came, trying to catch me once more. "We both know that he will never open his eyes or heart to you. I could make it happen though."

The sound of something shaking and rattling caught my attention. Turning around I saw one of the wooden beds used for patients moving on its own. Then, out of nowhere the bed leapt in the air and hurtled towards me, and I was forced to drop to the ground, dodging it and letting it crash against the wall behind me.

"I don't need him to do either of those things," I retorted. "I have already felt the warmth of love's embrace. I don't need it again."

"Don't you want to have the cold and empty space in your heart filled again?" the demon taunted. "It has poisoned you. All of your friends see it and avoid you because of it. It has made you a bitter and terrible person. Allow me to fulfill your desire and that poison will be erased. You will be happy. Don't you want to be happy again?"

"I am happy, usually," I replied loudly, still looking for the demon. "So you can stop your lies and offers, and come out and face me! Unless you are a coward, that is!"

"You dare challenge me!" the demon roared, the entire room shaking and groaning with her words. "In case you have forgotten, you have no power here. You are no mage; you don't have strong enough willpower to form spells. You don't even have a weapon. How do you possibly think you will beat me?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of purple on my right. Turning to face the demon, she appeared with ribbons of purple snaking around her skin. A desire demon is what I faced. Her bright yellow eyes squinting as she smiled. She thought me easy prey, someone who could easily be possessed.

"Who says I need weapons to kill you?" I asked. "Haven't you heard of beating things to death? No? Well, I can assure you that it actually does work."

The desire demon chuckled, amused by what I said. "And you think that will work? Well, I can assure you that it won't," she teased. "So I give you one more chance. Allow me to fulfill your desires or I will take your body and use it as my own."

A gleam of white from behind the desire demon caught my eye and I smiled wickedly at her. "You're a cocky little shit, aren't you?" I said. "I'd certainly like to see you try to take my body."

"You are going to regret—" Whatever she was going to say next got caught in her throat.

The point of a sword covered in the demon's own blood stuck out from her stomach. Purple smoke spilled from the wound as well, covering the ground in a mist like substance. Her eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief before they became glazed over and lifeless.

The sword on which she had been impaled moved over to the side, and her body slid off the end, landing with a soft thud. It did not remain long on the cold and grotesque ground of the fade she had warped, though. More purple smoke swam around her body until it engulfed what was left of her, and she disintegrated.

"Lovely timing, Honor. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to win the coming battle."

"I am sure you would have managed on your own, Little Moon," came the curt reply of my friend, Honor, a benevolent spirit of the Fade, "albeit it would take you a bit longer without a weapon."

He stood before me, glowing with white light. He looked like a soldier, dressed in fine armor, carrying a sword and shield with no equal make in the Fade or out of it. Honor was a bit translucent though. You could almost see right through him, but that didn't make him invisible to the rest of the Fade or what goes on in it. He carries himself proudly and helps others with the demons that plague them. Honor understood what it meant to be a warrior, and he held everyone that considered themselves such in high regard. I guess that's why he liked me.

"Thank you," I said before moving towards the doors of this destroyed clinic.

"You have no need to thank me, and do not go through those doors," Honor replied calmly. "We do not know what is behind them. More demons could be laying in wait for you."

Honor's voice never had any emotion to it. He could be scolding you, comforting you, or insulting you, but it would always be in the same tone. Sometimes he would get louder to show his displeasure, and the metalicness of it would grate your ears. However disgusted he was though, there was no inflection of emotion carried with it. Perhaps that's what it meant to be a Fade spirit, the Maker's first children.

I sighed with annoyance and tiredness, "Why me?"

"The demons are drawn to you, Little Moon, because you shine to them like a beacon," Honor explained. "You are someone who is extremely sensitive to the Fade and has the ability to be aware of being in the Fade like a mage, though you do not have a strong enough will to shape it. This appeals to the demons because they think you easy prey."

"I know that, Honor. You've told me before, and that was a rhetorical question."

"What do you mean 'rhetorical question'?" Honor asked.

"It was a question that I didn't expect to be answered," I explained patiently.

"But there is an answer to it," he argued. "Doesn't that mean it should be answered because it can be answered?"

"Not exactly. It was a question I used to show annoyance."

"I...do not understand," Honor finally said after a couple of seconds of contemplation. "The ways of you mortals are very strange. It is almost impossible to understand."

"I could say the same of you Fade spirits, but I'm slowly starting to get it," I said. "It just takes a while before you pick it up."

"You say that as if it is some type of trade to be learned," Honor replied steadily.

"More like a skill to be nurtured," I corrected absent-mindedly.

I drifted over to a nearby table, one that was relatively clean. I sat on in and looked over to a wall with a huge piece of it missing, staring out into the Fade with its many islands and different dreamers. All of whom had a demon watching them, waiting for them, hoping that one of the dreamers might slip up somehow and give them an opening into the physical world. It was scary.

"Something is troubling you, Little Moon," Honor said after he let me sit and think for a little while. He came over and rested a translucent hand on my shoulder. The contact of his hand warmed my shoulder and spread throughout my body. _"Maybe that's why Anders is such a warm person. Because he has Justice, and Fade spirits seem to be much warmer than usual."_

"Are there others like me, Honor?" I finally asked, in a timid voice. "Are there others that are as unfortunate as me?"

"Other than mages?"

I gave him a nod, still gazing out at the rest of the Fade, its gray, dulcet tones drawing me in as it deceived me into a false sense of security. The Fade could look so beautiful at times, but as my gaze widened the reality that it was more dangerous than the waking world set in when I could see the disfigured clinic along with the "calm" Fade.

"There are a few, yes," Honor said. "But people like you are rare. So rare, in fact, that those who survive are often mistaken as mages and sent to the Circles where their lack of sufficient will to form spells cause them to be made tranquil."

"'Those that survive'?"

"Most of those that are like you are possessed when they first start journeying into the Fade aware, unable to fight off the demons, but their weak and young minds are destroyed along with the demon that tried to possess them."

"So I'm just lucky?"

"No, Little Moon. You are just skilled." Honor never measures a person on how they act or what good they do. He only sees skill. The more skilled you are, the more respect you get from him.

"Having you by my side helped quite a bit though."

"I will always be at your side, Little Moon, because you are...'Friend.'"

When Honor said this, I was a taken aback. He never had any emotional weight in his words. He was always cold and calculating with what he said and what he did. Saying I was his friend threw me off because that meant he cared, and weren't Fade spirits unable to emotionally care about someone or something?

"You see me as a friend?" I asked, voicing my confusion.

"Yes. You have caused me to care for you, something I thought impossible, with all your of travels in here and talks with me," Honor explained, sounding confused for a second before dipping back into his metallic monotone. "I do not see you as a simple companion or comrade, but as something more. 'Friend' seems like an appropriate title."

"Thank you, Honor," I said, smiling at what he had told me.

"No, Little Moon, thank you. You have taught me many things about the world beyond the Fade," he responded, moving to take a seat on the table, next to me. "Such lessons are invaluable, along with having someone like you to talk with."

I laughed, sending it to scatter throughout the Fade. "Now I am friends with an abomination and a Fade spirit. I certainly know how to pick 'em."

"Your friend is not exactly an abomination." Honor said, and I was unable to tell whether or not he was offended. "Though why he would choose to merge with a spirit of Justice is beyond me. Their kind are what you would call 'closed minded' and can be quite rude at times."

"I might be inclined to agree with you."

Honor and I sat there in silence for a long while, staring out into the Fade our minds flowing with different thoughts from one another. It was quite peaceful given what the area around us looked like. In my silence, I found myself going over my last run-in with Justice. _"Rude? That's not even the half of it. Terrifying? That fits a bit better. But Anders being as kind and caring as he is. Justice and him are like a living, breathing contradiction."_

"You are thinking about him again," Honor said in a matter-of-factly voice.

"In a manner of speaking," I admitted.

"Your run-in with Justice then," Honor corrected what he had said earlier.

"Yeah," I looked over at Honor and smiled, "you must know me or something."

"I would like to think I know you, Little Moon," Honor stated, "yet you do or say something that proves the contrary every now and then."

"Being spontaneous is quite fun."

The grey of the Fade was slowly getting brighter, and I found myself squinting at the intensity of the light. A quiet ringing started to resonate in my ears. It was like the ringing you get when something loud happens too close to your ears, and it was getting louder as the seconds passed by.

"You are waking up, it seems, Little Moon," Honor said as the scenery around us started to pull away, revealing the island my dream was on.

"It would appear that way," I sighed. "Before I go, however, I need to know something."

"And what is that?" Honor asked.

"I heard Marian's voice before I entered a warehouse," I said. "How is that possible? She's dead."

"I apologize for your confusion," Honor said in the beginning of what I assumed was an answer. "That was actually me warning you." I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with a wave of his hand. "The Veil was extremely thin in the warehouse you were heading to, allowing me to warn you and allowing that demon to get to that poor mage."

"Then why was your warning so cryptic, and why did you sound like Marian?" I asked, a little mad that Honor had kept this from me.

"The answer to both your questions is the same," Honor replied. I had to strain my ears to hear him. The ringing was really loud now, and I could barely hear myself think. "I simply wanted to get your attention!"

A ferocious wind accompanied the ringing and the bright light that was washing me out of the Fade by scouring it from my sight and hearing. This made Honor shout so that I could hear the rest of what he had to say.

"So that cryptic part didn't mean anything!" I hollered over the wind.

"Perhaps!" Honor's cry came, and then the dream shattered.

* * *

><p>I woke up to the light shaking of Sebastian as he tried to get me up. He was shaking my arm softly, rocking me back in forth so that I wouldn't wake up abruptly and unpleasantly.<p>

"Serah Hawke?" Sebastian whispered, calling me by my surname, which, unknown to him, I really hated.

"Just Luna," I moaned out sleepily. "Please, just call me Luna."

Sebastian chuckled, "Very well, Luna, the morning service is over. You can sneak out unseen now."

"Don't want me to make a spectacular exit out of your room?" I joked, blinking sleep out of my eyes and turning to look at him.

"No, I don't," Sebastian said, laughing nervously as well. "That would be bit of a bad thing, no offense."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm mean sometimes, but never that mean."

"I have a hard time picturing you as mean, but I won't argue," Sebastian replied. "Your clothes are over on my desk, dry," he smiled. "I'll leave you to get changed."

"Thank you, messere Veal," I teased as Sebastian moved for the door.

"Please," Sebastian said, smile flashing as he turned back to me, "just call me Sebastian."

I heard the door click as it shut, and I slowly sat up on the bed. My head was pounding, my entire body was sore, and I just felt awful. No doubt I had the rain and my "obsession" with being out in it to thank for that.

Shaking my head in an attempt to cast away the pounding, I slowly stood up and walked over to Sebastian's desk. My clothes were neatly folded on them, dry, and clean; and I couldn't help but smile because Sebastian had obviously done more than just hang them up to dry. Even a hole that had been in my shirt was repaired. I quickly slipped out of the clothes Sebastian had let me borrow, mindful of my wrist that was no better and no worse, and pulled on my own, leaving my cloak on the desk for the moment.

Sebastian had one mirror in his room, and it was a small one. I cast a glance at it and was taken aback by how terrible I looked. I still had my black eye from Aveline, but it was much darker than before. I also had a few more cuts and a bigger bruise on my cheek and my chin, and those were just the bruises and cuts I could see in the mirror. I had a ton more covering my body, and the hip I landed on when kicked down the stairs was a bitch to move, let alone put weight on it. _"Anders is going to kill me!"_

I quietly made Sebastian's bed, making it look as if I had never been there. Then I folded up the clothes he had let me borrow and set them on the bed before I grabbed my cloak, pulled down the hood, and slid out of the door soundlessly, sticking to the shadows as I made my way to the Chantry doors. No one saw me as I passed through them and exited into the morning sun.

The blinding light was welcome. It meant that there was no more rain, and as I stepped down from the last few steps leading into the courtyard, I looked up to see a clear blue sky. _"Why couldn't it be like this yesterday, or even last night?"_ I smiled at the fact that not one of the bodies from last night's misadventures remained and that there was no more evidence of those misadventures as well. Actually, that's not true. The bruises and cuts that cover my skin still remain._ "And Anders is going to give me hell for that."_

I made up my mind that I needed to go to Gamlen's hovel before I went to Anders' clinic. _"I will not walk around unarmed this time! I learned my lesson! Besides, I need to grab Olivia's letter and that locket."_

Walking down into the Chantry's courtyard, I turned to the right and made my way towards the stairs that led to Lowtown that had been blocked off by a gate last night. It was somewhat early in the morning for the fat, wealthy pricks that had fancy parties to blow their money on, and there was nobody to complain about a refugee dog tainting the "pure nobility" of Hightown. This city and the people that live in it are pathetic sometimes, if not all the time.

The further I went down, and the closer I got to Lowtown, the busier the streets got. People were already rushing off to work and already starting to run their errands for the day. Lowtown is the true picture of Kirkwall, not Hightown. Lowtown is where people work to support themselves and their families. Although not everyone in Lowtown can find a job. There are plenty of beggars lining the walls, hoping that someone would be nice enough to toss a few silvers towards them.

Stalls in the bazaar were already open, ready for the business of those who had errands to run. This part of the city had already awakened and was ready to face the day. The people bustling around in crowds proved that. The shops that had opened and were welcoming people with coin in proved that. The low buzz of conversations proved that. The sun that shone down and told us that we should be awake proved it, and, unlike Hightown, we already were.

As I passed the Hanged Man, the smell of cheap alcohol and vomit wafted from it, welcoming all who passed. Soft tavern music could also be heard, but through the walls, windows, and doors it sounded out of tune and like the instruments were not in sync with one another. At least, I hope it was because of the obstructions that were blocking the music, otherwise I felt sorry for whoever was in that tavern and had to listen to that awful attempt at music.

From there, it was just a short walk to Gamlen's hovel; and taking the stairs two at a time, I found myself at the door to this poor excuse of a home quicker than one would have guessed.

Silence filled all the nooks and crannies of the hovel, and as I walked over to Garrett and mine's room, silence was all that could be heard. On my way there I grabbed my swords, which had been moved to a table close by, angrily and tossed them onto my "bed" when I stepped into our room. Next, I moved over to my wooden chest and retrieved the locket and Olivia's letter. Pausing a moment, I also grabbed my tough, black, leather jerkin and vambraces.

Being careful of my wrist, I laced on the jerkin and the vambraces before putting the locket and letter into a pouch I used to store my various items I use to sabotage those that pick a fight with me. I didn't have enough room for all of them, though, so I was forced to leave the smoke bombs behind. Then, with deliberate and jarred movements, I secured my swords to my back in the most painful manner I could so that I would never forget again; and by the time they were strapped correctly my wrist was screaming in pain.

"_I deserve that. I need to keep my swords with me at all times, and it's said that you remember things that were associated with pain more than others."_

Having retrieved everything that I might possibly need for today, I grabbed my cloak and exited the hovel while pulling down the hood to hide my face. _"No need for everyone to see that I look like I'm on death's row."_

* * *

><p>The trip to and through Darktown was uneventful at best. My path was blocked by only a couple of drunks and a handful of beggars. It was an odd thing to occur, but not an unwelcome thing. Too many times were people cut down simply for stepping out of the old mine shafts they called home, and what happened even more than that was people being killed from the gangs that hid in the old mineshafts they used to ambush people.<p>

Two lanterns glowed in the dusty shadows. Those lanterns were always lit and I had a feeling that they'd keep on being lit even if their owner finally overexerted himself and died. _"You need a break every now and then, Anders, no matter what that hothead in your brain says."_

One of the doors those two lanterns hung above was slightly open, light seeping out of the cracks along with the overwhelming smell of elfroot. A few people were standing around the doors not doing anything particular but were certainly not there to seek aid. As I approached, a few of them gave me dirty looks, but they went ignored as I continued towards the clinic and opened the one of its doors just enough for me to slip in.

Anders was off to the left, working on another patient, a little boy with big eyes that stared up at the healer as he set about helping him. I backed off into a nearby corner, blending into the shadows and waiting till Anders was finished.

"Try not to run down anymore stairs, okay?" Anders' teasing voice drifted to my ears.

"Alright messere," said the boy. "I won't."

"Promise?" Anders continued, trying to get the boy to be more careful in the future.

"Mm-hmmm," the boy hummed before jumping off the table he had been sitting on and started to run towards the door.

"Hey! What did I say about running!" Anders called after him.

The boy turned his head and looked back at Anders, a mischievous smile spread across his face. "Not to do it down stairs next ti—" Whatever the boy was going to say was cut off as he ran right into the closed door. The boy was knocked back and he fell on his back, arms and legs splayed out in the dirt. At first I feared the boy was hurt, but as his laughter reached my ears I couldn't help but smile.

"Perhaps you shouldn't run anymore," Anders joked. "You seem to be rather bad at it."

"Maybe," the boy giggled, slowly rising to his feet and dusting off his clothes, which were worn from play. The boy then waved goodbye and this time used the open door to exit the clinic, a soft boom echoing in the room as the door slid all the way closed behind him.

"Kids are pretty cute sometimes," I said once silence had filled the room, and got Anders to jump in surprise. I stepped from the corner covered in shadows and moved towards him as he now stood in the center of the clinic. Anders jumping in surprise was quite hilarious, and I managed to stifle all of my laughter save a few soft laughs that slipped out.

The surprise quickly melted from Anders' features and was replaced with a warm smile. "You startled me," he said breathlessly. "For a moment there I thought you were another one of the coterie's assassins." His cheeks flushed immediately after he said those words. Clearly he hadn't intended for me to know them.

"You insult me by thinking that I am as unskilled as the coterie," I teased, smile flickering across my lips. More sternly I added, "Now what's this about the coterie giving you trouble and sending assassins after you."

"I was kidding about the assassins bit," Anders lied, horribly. "They usually send lowlife thugs that are easy to deal with," he was still lying, and I was nowhere near being convinced. Crossing my arms I cocked my head at the "are you serious?" angle, and he got the message that I didn't believe him. "Okay, fine, I'm lying. Just don't get involved, Luna. I couldn't bear knowing that you get hurt on my behalf."

"I won't get hurt—"

"Bullshit!" Anders said crossly, frowning in anger caused by concern. "You practically go out of your way to get hurt for others so that they don't get hurt."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," I replied in a mock hurt tone. "One of these days my heroics will probably save your life."

"That's the thing, Luna!" Anders said, his voice rising due to frustration. "One of these days those heroics of yours are going to get you killed!"

"Your point...?"

"That is my point!" Anders hissed, doing his best to keep his anger and frustration in check now that I was pushing him towards the boiling point. "Even now, when you're doing your best to hide the fact that you're hurt, proves my point that for all your skill you're still reckless when it comes to making sure that no one but yourself gets hurt!"

"And here was I thinking I was doing a pretty decent job at hiding wounds from you," I said with sad sarcasm.

"Just don't get involved, Luna. You get hurt too many times as it is."

"No promises," I said before shifting my weight from my sore hip.

Anders let out a very loud sigh, "How did you hurt your hip," he said, his voice pained a little.

"I must've slept on it wrong," I lied, and it was almost as bad as Anders' lying.

"Did you pick today to be the one day that you lie horribly on?" Anders said, moving closer to me.

"I'm still not as bad as you," I replied teasingly, tensing up as he came closer, "so you have no room to talk."

Anders sighed again and held out his hand. "Let me see that wrist of yours."

"Easier said than done," I joked, showing him my wrist and the vambrace I had just put on awhile ago. Anders just shook his head, and I carefully began to undo the laces which held it on. Every now and then I would wince in pain as I removed the vambrace. "There!" I said once I was finally done.

Anders didn't say anything. He just carefully examined my wrist, slowly unwrapped the bandages that Sebastian had put on last night. "This is nicely done," he finally said, indicating to how nicely my wrist had been bandaged up and at the angle in which a thin brace held my wrist at.

"Well, I picked up a few things from my father," I lied, much, much better than last time. "He was a brilliant healer."

"Probably not as good as me, though," Anders said as he began to heal my wrist. Threads of magic snaked across my skin and, as usual, the pain faded away.

"You're right," I said, "he was much better." Anders gave me a pained expression and I burst out laughing. The mischief in his eyes was unmistakable and Anders soon joined me in laughing.

"You're a cruel, cruel woman, Luna," he choked out between laughs. "Now," he said, breathing deeply in before continuing, "take off your cloak so I can see the rest of the wounds your hiding."

I hesitated a little. I was in no mood to comply and get lectured. "I think I'll pass."

Anders' eyebrows furrowed in the center of his forehead before he crossed his arms and cocked his head at the "are you serious?" angle. With some slight adjustments to my stance I now stood in the "its funny how you think that'll work" position. Anders let out an exasperated sigh and sadness clouded his eyes just a little.

"Luna..."

"Yes?" my voice rose just a little and I dragged out the "s" in my question. I sounded like a kid with their hand stuck in the cookie jar playing innocent 'til the very end.

"Is there a specific reason you won't let me heal you?"

"Well," I answered, "of course there is. I'm not just doing this for shits and giggles." A smile touched my lips at my substitute words for "no reason."

"And that reason would be?" Anders asked, his shoulders rising with annoyance.

"I'm in no mood to be lectured," I said slyly.

No longer wanting to play my little game of cat and mouse anymore, Anders stepped a bit closer and removed my cloak himself, undoing the clasp easily with just one hand. Anders caught the cloak with one hand, and when he saw the bruises and cuts on my face his knuckles turned white due to the death grip he held on the cloak while he swore loudly and angrily.

"Who did this?" he asked, his voice dripping with anger as he tossed my cloak onto a nearby table. His voice was morphed with that...thing he shared his body with. I had to force myself not to catch my breath as blue light cracked across his skin here and there.

"That's quite the trick you have there," I teased, a dirty smirk crossing my face as I tried to diffuse the tension that was in the room. "No doubt you've put it to good use in the past."

"Luna, who!"

"About seven thugs last night. It was dark and raining and I couldn't see that well."

"And this was on your way to do that 'other thing' you barely mentioned before you ran off last night?" Anders raised his eyebrows at "other thing" and let me know that he was aware that I had been making a fake excuse to run off last night. "At least tell me that you killed them."

"Barely...and saying anything more will probably result in me having my ears lectured off," I replied, embarrassed, "so I'll shut up for now and let you fill in the blanks with your own imagination."

"You were hit this many times by just seven thugs?" Anders asked in disbelief as his hands glowed with healing magic. He slowly began to erase what remained of my lovely little fight from last night. "I find that really hard to believe," he continued. "You're not telling me everything."

"I was unarmed while they were." As soon as those words were out of my mouth the soothing feeling of Anders magic evaporated along with the soft blue glow.

"What!"

"I accidentally left my swords at home after kicking my drunken uncle out of the house," I explained. "That was the 'other thing' I needed to do. Garrett and I take turns."

"You know what," Anders said as a bright flash of blue momentarily blinded me, "I take that back." Anders stepped back and handed me my cloak back having finished healing my cuts and bruises; even my hip was no longer sore. "You're not reckless, you're an idiot."

"Yes, I'm an idiot!" I exclaimed throwing my arms in the air as if he had just solved a great mystery, when I was really just annoyed. I knew what I did was stupid. I didn't need him to tell me that. "Now I am going to the Gallows to give a father his dead daughter's letter which you said you would accompany me with. I imagine that, that offer is now void since you don't want to travel with an idiot. So if you'll excuse me..." I turned to leave the clinic, but felt a pull on my shoulder as Anders tried to stop me.

"Luna wait," Anders pleaded, his voice filled with hurt. "I'm sorry, and not just for calling you an idiot. I'm sorry for the awkward position I put you in last night." I let Anders stop me, his hand still resting on my shoulder. "I am a fool and do not want you to be angry at me."

"Apology accepted, friend," I replied, turning so that I was facing him now, "and I am not in the mood to be angry at you. Now, will you accompany me, or do I have to go all the way to the Gallows on my own?"

"I would love to join you," Anders said, his hurt-filled voice much lighter and his lips curved in a sweet smile.

"Even to the Gallows?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"Not so much, but I said I wanted to accompany you and I will. I, uh," he stammered, "might need your help though..."

I almost opened my mouth to ask what he would need my help with, but the obvious answer practically jumped on me. _"He might need my help to keep Justice at bay. I'm not exactly sure that I will be of much help though. Justice was pretty angry at me the last time he saw me. He might still have a grudge."_

I smiled sweetly at him, "Alright," I said. "Close up the clinic and I'll meet you outside." I turned once more to the exit and reopened the door the kid had closed.

* * *

><p>As we took a ferry over to the Gallows, Anders face grew pained and darker as the prison grew larger on the horizon. So many thoughts must have been plaguing him of his own past in Ferelden's Circle, which he would often say was like Saturnalia compared to the Gallows. His eyes were shifty, but they never strayed far from the sight of the Gallows which rose up out of the water like a pillar meant to unite life with death. Anders' jaw was clenched shut tightly and it sounded as if he was forcing every breath out. When his fists balled up so fiercely that his knuckles turned snow white, I decided it was time to provide him with a little distraction. I calmly looped my arm through his and leaned my head against his shoulder. He was so tense, and I could feel his shoulders shift as he looked at me and how close I was. A small intake of breath in surprise had escaped him once I, for lack of better words, plastered myself against him, but I could already feel him relaxing before he was finally loose. His breathing was quieter, and at this moment, we were both somewhere between peace and rage.<p>

"...her eyes...bit creepy...other'n that...pretty fine..."

"Aye...'s got...all the right assets..."

The conversation of two deckhands drifted to my ears. My anger heated up inside me.

"What I'd give...show 'er...tricks I know..."

"Only if I...join in..."

I let out a snort of disgust, and Anders looks at me. "What?" he whispered.

"They talk about women as if they're livestock when they're the pigs!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

"Ignore them," was his quiet response.

"Like you ignore templars?" I asked harshly.

This stumped him for a little bit before he replied, "How to be discreet is something I do not know. You do, so I suggest you quietly hate them."

"I already am."

Anders tried to hide his hum of amusement, but it still wasn't inaudible and I could tell he was smirking. _"So I've managed to put him in a better mood...sort of...but at the expense of my own."_

"Hey, sweet thing!" one of the deckhands finally called, walking towards Anders and I. "How about you drop that boyfriend on your arm and come with me to have a good time!"

"Why is every guy I run into trying to rape me or get me to have sex with them?" I hissed quietly to myself before addressing the asshole who was talking to me. "How about you get off your high horse so that I can shove it up your ass! 'Cause I'm certainly not going to stoop so low as to sleep with you."

"Never mind," said the deckhand, clearly sounding disappointed, "I don't sleep with Fereldan bitches anyways."

"_Oh you little—"_

I started for the deckhand who had already turned his back on me and was getting back to work, but Anders yanked me back. "You're almost are as bad as I am with templars," he chided mockingly, keeping me firmly by his side.

I looked up at him ready to say something rather mean, but something stopped me. I finally understood something, so I just stared at him for a couple seconds before I looked back out across the sea, thinking to the rhythm of the rocking boat.

"Luna...?" Anders questioned. "This is usually the time where you explain why you got so angry. Not that it matters. I believe I heard your reason already."

"You know how you're always telling one of our friends about how they wouldn't understand what it was like to be in the Circle," I ask.

"Yeah...there aren't really words that can describe the situation."

"I think I understand," I said, closing my eyes and drawing in a deep breath. "The way men look at me, how they think they can own me and that they're free to do as they please with me, I imagine, is a bit like how the templars view mages. They're just possessions and aren't given any emotions in their head so that they don't feel bad about what they do like these pigs do with me and other women... That's just a theory, though..." I manage to stutter out.

"That's a good theory... I might even go as far as to say that it's more of a fact than a theory," Anders replied.

"Were it for anything else, I would be overjoyed that I got it right. This just brings me sorrow though..."

"...No one should be viewed like that," Anders said wistfully.

"Agreed."

Anders and I stand there silent for a time, my arm looped through his as the rocking of the ship lures us into a trance. The Gallows is now looming before us, and shouts from the deckhands are caught by the wind, snaking past our ears or lost completely as they are scattered in the wrong direction.

"You are an amazing woman, Luna," Anders finally says, breaking our silence. "Don't let these men change you or tell you otherwise."

"I try not to."

~.0.~

* * *

><p><strong>After much blood, sweat, and tears, I have finally finished this chapter. I am so, so sorry it took this long to uploadwrite. The break did however help me figure out where I'm going in the story, though, and agian I am sorry it was at your expense. Please tell me what you think because I feel as if its getting a tad on the rediculous side and am going to try to tone it down just a bit.**


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